THE Chairman of Region 10 cannot on one hand call for support from all Guyanese and at the same time object to the presence of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and others as observers to the discussions with President Ramotar and his team. The PSC correctly points out that in light of the repeated calls for open dialogue, impartiality and an independent presence in investigations and discourse, this was a perfect opportunity to involve non-political stakeholders in arriving at resolutions for the collective benefit of all those persons, citizens and entities affected by the events of the last two weeks. It is strange to see calls for outside observers to investigate incidents, but not include local stakeholder groups to see or contribute to meetings to resolve problems leading up to the present critical situation.

The PSC and other non-political NGOs’ presence at these meetings may offer the best chance to force compromises and common ground between the parties. Guyana needs as many independent watchdogs as possible and witnesses to what is really going on at these meetings and to ensure agreements are kept. Hopefully, this is not being used as an opportunity to make deals in private that would benefit the personal ambitions and agendas of a few, and not what is best for all. In Guyana it seems you can fool a lot of people a lot of the time.