THE national stakeholder consultation aimed at engendering dialogue among a wide cross-section of society on a matter of critical national importance was ‘disrupted’ by Opposition elements on Monday.

During the consultation, APNU+AFC parliamentarians Amanza Walton Desir and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley took to the podium and delivered a presentation in which they spoke dimly on constitutional compliance, support for Guyana’s indigenous people, women and youths before staging a walkout.

The Guyana national stakeholder consultation sought to update Guyana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of the convening of the United Nations (UN) COP26 Summit to be held in the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, UK, from October 31 to November 12, 2021.

Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who was at the forum held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, in response, told the gathering that the Coalition’s “newfound love” for the Constitution is convenient.

He noted that it is ironic that the Coalition is talking about constitutional compliance, pointing out that just over a year ago, when the Coalition was in power, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had to fight its constitutional abuses ranging from the appointment of a GECOM Chairperson to the holding of elections three months after the successful passage of a no-confidence motion.

He also noted the Coalition’s concerns on matters including land titling for Amerindian communities were never addressed by the former APNU+AFC Government when it was in office.

The Vice-President, on that matter, underscored that it was the PPP/C Government, which, through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) earned money from Norway, to advance the Amerindian Land Titling programme.

In addition, Mr Jagdeo contended that the Coalition’s representation for women and youths was abysmal while stressing that its political grandstanding at Monday’s forum resulted in it making no meaningful contribution to the discussion on updating Guyana’s NDCs.