DAYS away from the May 11 General and Regional election, the political goings- on have one element missing, the presidential debates.And executive of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic, former president Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, waded into the presidential candidate of the alliance of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), Brigadier (rtd) David Granger for “hiding.”
“We are prepared to talk about the issue…we are willing to debate the issues anytime. Our President is still waiting on Granger. He is hiding from a debate.We are prepared to defend our track record and our vision for Guyana at any point in time,” he said yesterday at a news conference.
Dr Jagdeo added that the current focus, with days to E-Day, is about what the major political contenders are putting on the table.
“It is about what they have to offer and what we have to offer the Guyanese people,” he said.
According to him, the PPP/C is confident in its vision, Guyana 2.0, which represents its pact with the Guyanese people. “We have a good track record and clear vision for the future,” he declared.
Meanwhile, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, on Wednesday, in an invited comment, maintained that the APNU+AFC alliance maintains its position – there will be no presidential debates without a prime ministerial debate.
“I have consulted my colleagues and we have made a statement that our participation in the presidential debates is subject to a prior debate by the prime ministerial candidate….this is the decision for APNU+AFC and our decision is final,” he declared.
The ruling party in a recent statement stressed that its prime ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper, will not be debating the APNU+AFC coalition prime ministerial candidate, Moses Nagamootoo, since it will not allow him to disrespect her further.

UNREASONABLE
Additionally, the Private Sector Commission (PSC), which made the offer to host a presidential debate, has come out with criticism of its own in light of the political Opposition’s unwavering demand that a prime ministerial debate be a prerequisite for the former.
This position was articulated by Kit Nascimento, chairman of the PSC news conference held at the Commission’s Waterloo Street office, last week.
The PSC Chairman Ramesh Persaud, added that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has agreed to a presidential debate but has stood firm in declining the demand for a prime ministerial debate first, from the alliance of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
Additionally, the PSC Chairman noted that all arrangements are in place for the presidential debate to take place. “If they say yes today, we will be ready tomorrow,” he said.
Meanwhile, ahead of one of the most significant General and Regional Elections, since 1992, there is much anticipation for a debate of current issues and policy matters by politicians bidding for top leadership posts in Guyana, particularly since the manifestos of both major political contenders have been made public.
Earlier this month, another attempt to host such a forum was impeded. Three rounds of town-hall- style debates proposed by the National Communications Network (NCN) have been cancelled after non-confirmation from the APNU+AFC coalition.A statement from the network yesterday said, “The National Communications Network Incorporated has been forced to abandon its series of debates, which was scheduled to commence [on] Wednesday April 1, 2015, after exhaustive efforts failed to get all stakeholders on board.” It added that the debate series is aimed at allowing the two main contesting political parties in the General and Regional Elections and other stakeholders to ventilate their positions on several national issues, including the sugar and bauxite industries and crime and security.
Political observers contend that the forced cancellation of the NCN debates and the delays in rolling off the PSC initiative, leading up to the May 11 polls, are unfortunate.