Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Prorogued Parliament …Dialogue is Govt’s best bet – Dr. Luncheon
Even though the Joint Opposition made it pellucid that it is not interested in any “dialogue” with the government,
Cabinet Secretary,
Dr. Roger Luncheon
unless the Parliament is reconvened, Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, has said that the current administration will continue to remain hopeful that good sense will prevail and that its olive branch will be accepted.
The Head of the Presidential Secretariat, during a press conference yesterday at the Office of the President, attributed the optimism to the “behaviour of the body politics.”
Opposition Leader, David Granger, is insisting that he is not going to engage the government in any form of discussions. Meanwhile, Government continues to press on gently, about the “golden opportunity” that awaits both parties during dialogue.
With the government holding firm to its position, Dr. Luncheon was asked about what or who is responsible for the government not taking the Opposition’s unwavering position seriously.
The Cabinet Secretary explained, “The behaviour of the body politic is assumed to be of relevance in this situation and I want to draw to your attention that when I say the behaviour of the body politics, I don’t mean it in a derogatory sense, but this is the way of politicians and indeed it is not uncommon.
“I am pretty certain that anyone of us can rather easily identify examples, whether there are talks in secrets, or consultations by third parties. The resort to the worst case scenario is often tempered by these political moves.
“Guarded optimism may also be a reasonable choice of perspective in which we look at how the situation evolves.”
Dr. Luncheon said that the Opposition Leader was also officially written to, for a meeting to engage in fruitful dialogue. The letter was officially sent to the political opposition on Monday afternoon. It was confirmed that A Partnership for National Unity is in receipt of this letter, but that the party’s position remains the same.
Dr. Luncheon said that Cabinet at its Tuesday meeting continued its review and examination of the public’s position and particularly those from stakeholders, such as the opposition on the prorogation of the parliament. The intentions behind President Donald Ramotar’s decision as well as his call for dialogue are also part of the review.
At the Cabinet level, Dr. Luncheon said that the sentiments expressed, extended to the actual consideration of the loss of a golden opportunity that was being provided by the prorogation period. There should be discussions and examination of the critical issues facing the nation, he said.
He said that the discussion at Cabinet level had to do with a consideration of that opportunity as opposed to a return to the opposition’s agenda to have the life of the Tenth Parliament ended, thereby resulting in General and Regional elections.
Dr. Luncheon told the media that Cabinet felt that while Government would have won the parliamentary debate on the No-Confidence Motion, it would have lost the vote to the majority opposition.
He said that Cabinet felt that it was necessary to consider the pros and cons of such a decision as opposed to its six-month parliamentary suspension.
The Cabinet Secretary admitted that there is some merit in the view that with the return to parliamentary normalcy, there would be a continuation of gridlock.
He added, “But I believe that it is worth giving ourselves a chance, even if it were the last chance.”
He opined that while General Elections hold the promise of getting on with the business of the people, so does the President’s call for dialogue. He said that Ramotar’s decision is a “final opportunity or a last chance” to see if this current set of elected representatives of the people can indeed discharge its responsibilities.
He said that the President has formally reached out to the Opposition and stands ready to engage. Dr. Luncheon said that the government stands in anticipation of a “timely response to the invitation” from Opposition Leader David Granger.
However, if the Opposition were to remain steadfast in its aversion to talks with the government, Dr Luncheon said that pulling the plug on the parliament would be the inevitable move.
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