THE Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is maintaining that its members will not sit on State boards unless the President gives assurance that Government will not intervene in the administration of these boards.At a press conference held on Tuesday last at the PPP’s Freedom House Headquarters in Robb Street, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo made this assertion, and declared that the GuySuCo fiasco is testimony that the PPP had made the right decision not to participate on State boards. He explained that the GuySuCo Board had told the unions in the sugar industry that management had decided to close down the Wales estate, but Agriculture Minister Noel Holder subsequently declared that the GuySuCo Board had made that decision.

“We don’t want to rubber stamp any issue. We made it clear (that) once there is a clear signal from the President, then we will reconsider this position. But we will not be party to this sort of thing,” the Opposition Leader said.

“Even at the GRA, I’ve heard about letters that were sent from the Office of the President to say these people are exempt from reporting to the Commissioner General and to the Board…. Letters sent from the Office of the President for people installed in GRA, who now don’t have to submit to the jurisdiction of the Commissioner General and to the Board,” Jagdeo charged.

Jagdeo said the PPP had made clear that its members will participate in some Boards which are social and humanitarian in nature, and he cited the Adoption Board and the Board of Guardians.

Public Infrastructure (PI) Minister David Patterson had, just last week, expressed concern about the absence of Opposition members on State boards. Patterson explained that the PI Ministry had requested the Opposition to nominate persons to sit on various boards, but had received no response. He accordingly questioned the Opposition’s reason for withholding representation at the level of the boards.
(Ravin Singh)