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PPP/C no show at GCCI’s meeting on elections
Political parties, minus the PPP/C at the GCCI meeting last month.
…other political parties want access to state media, level playing field
Several political parties recently participated in the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) breakfast meeting designed to ensure a peaceful general elections but the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic was notably absent.
According to the GCCI, the meeting as part of the preparatory phase of its upcoming Citizens Awareness Campaign, was the second in a series of stakeholder dialogues, held on April 29 at Duke Lodge.
The political parties present included the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), The United Force (TUF), People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Alliance for Change (AFC), Justice for All Party (JFAP) and the Guyana Peoples Partnership (GPP).
According to the Chamber, political parties have emphasized the need for a level playing field in the campaign period. Two critical issues that arose were transparency in the campaign funding for all political parties and fair and equitable access to the state media.
The first stakeholder meeting was held on February 25 with members of civil society. Participants at that forum included the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the Elections Assistance Bureau (EAB), the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and the United Nations Association of Guyana (UNAG).
According to the GCCI yesterday, it recognizes the value of raising awareness and promoting positive attitudes, thinking, and behaviors within Guyanese society to encourage unity and the peaceful resolution of any disagreements before, during and after the 2011 General and Regional Elections.
“At this most recent session, discussions were held with various political parties, to solicit their support and hear their views on the Chamber’s Citizen’s Awareness Initiative.”
The Private Sector was represented by President of the GCCI, Komal Ramnauth; Senior Vice President, Jennifer Cipriani-Nelson; Junior Vice President, Clinton Urlin; Chairman of the Security and Governance Committee, Eon Caesar; Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo; President of the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GMSA), Clinton Williams; and Chairman of the PSC’s Security and Governance Committee, Gerald Gouveia.
“Opposition parties suggested that the underlying causes of disenchantment that fuel people’s passion should be addressed to pave the way for fair and incident free elections. They made suggestions on what the Chamber’s role could be to ensure the electoral process is beyond reproach.”
At the end of consultations, the Chamber will review the recommendations of all stakeholders and prepare an action plan for its Citizen’s Awareness Campaign. GCCI, with support from the United States Agency for International Development/Governance Enhancement Project (USAID/GEP), will be implementing the programme over the coming months.
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