THE People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) has snubbed an invitation for a representative of the party to attend the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) in Los Angeles, California, that was held from June 6-7, 2022, to participate in an event for legislators ahead of the Summit of the Americas.

When a representative of IRI was contacted, the official confirmed that an invitation was dispatched to the PNC/R, but there was no confirmation on attendance and no one from that party attended meetings in California.
The Sunday Chronicle understands that the event brought together legislators from the US Congress, in addition to legislators across the Americas for discussions on issues related to challenges and opportunities in democratic resilience.

The programme was being facilitated by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), in collaboration with the International Republican Institute (IRI).
As such, the IRI had invited a representative of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government and another from the opposition. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, represented the government while PNC/R General-Secretary and Member of Parliament of the APNU+AFC, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, who was invited, did not attend.

This newspaper was reliably informed that Chandan-Edmond did not receive the support of the PNC/R to attend the meeting, even though the invitation from the IRI was sent directly to her.
Several calls made to the Mrs Chandan-Edmond for a comment went unanswered.

Over the last 30 years, heads of state and government from across the Americas and the Caribbean have converged at the Summit of the Americas to develop solutions to topics of shared concern.
This year’s summit focused on “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future” and featured leaders from across the Western Hemisphere to discuss challenges and opportunities along the following themes: Health and Resilience in the Americas; Our Green Future; Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy; Digital Transformation; and Democratic Governance.

The HDP event provided an opportunity for legislators to engage with their regional peers to discuss the core summit themes and the pivotal role of legislators in enacting reform.
Also attending the forums in Los Angeles, California, were civil society organisations from Guyana.