Ramotar warns Govt. will not be held to ransom

Feb 11, 2012 News

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…as Granger issues call for annual State of the Nation report

 

“We must seek consensus and compromise and should resist the temptation to believe that any party can ride rough shod over another…Any such attempt may see us missing the historical opportunities that this new composition offers…I urge that we put the interest of our people first.”  -Ramotar

 

By Gary Eleazar

Head of State Donald Ramotar has sent a clear message to the current dispensation of Parliament that where there is no absolute majority, the Government will not be held to ransom.
Ramotar, as he convened Guyana’s 10th Parliament yesterday, told the MPs that, “as willing however, as my government is to exercise patience, forbearance and reasonableness in the interest of all of our people, my administration will not be held to ransom to intractable postures.”
The recently elected Head of State, despite lamenting that the election for Speaker of the House broke from Convention, offered Raphael Trotman his congratulations adding that he (Ramotar) shares his “desire to ensure the smooth operations of this the 10th Parliament.
The convening ceremony was not without demands from the Opposition as David Granger drew reference to the fact that he was speaking on behalf of the Majority of the House.
Granger told President Ramotar that, “We are not a monarchy and no longer an autocracy; we are now a democracy.”
He suggested that the 10th Parliament represents a new configuration and dispensation and “we should take the opportunity to look at new methods of managing Parliament.”
Granger also used the opportunity while speaking on behalf of the majority of those in the National Assembly, to call on the President to adopt a republican style approach and make an annual presentation in the House as it relates to the state of affairs of the nation.
Ramotar, in his presentation, did not outline any specific details for policies or programs as had been expected by some and, what might have come as a surprise to many, Ramotar’s predecessor, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, was named only once during his presentation.
In introducing His Excellency to make his historic presentation, Speaker of the House Trotman underscored that the Parliamentarians in the current dispensation are presented with, by the people of Guyana, an “unprecedented opportunity for cooperation.”
In the prelude to the President’s presentation, Trotman told Ramotar, “We are here to receive your vision.”
He expressed hope that this vision will be paired with those in the House for a new and better transformed Guyana.
President Ramotar in his presentation, pointed to the fact that the 10th parliament starts at a challenging period in Guyana’s history where no single party in the House has an absolute majority.
He underscored the fact that while it is a new experience to the Guyana politics, others in the world have had similar dispensations with mixed results.
Ramotar warned that there are those that “in some cases were successful, others they have not been so fruitful and in some, downright failures.”
He lamented that there is no unified model for the Guyana 10th Parliament to follow, but challenged the MPs to serve as an example so that other countries finding themselves in a similar conundrum would have an example to follow.
He conceded that, “Yes we have our differences….This is perfectly natural, we would continue to have varying views on many issues, the important thing is how we move forward in resolving our positions.”
He warned also that to move forward will call for maturity and, “If we are to avoid gridlock and inertia, political cooperation in the interest of the development of Guyana must exist…This is the reality that we face, we must avoid gridlock.”
Ramotar said, “At this time, given the significant development under the PPP/C, my administration would be loath to accept gridlock that can stymie Guyana’s development…I am convinced that we have the capacity to rise to this challenge.”
Ramotar said too that he is satisfied that “we are capable of demonstrating to the Guyanese nation that while political competition and diversity are essential in a democracy, they should not foreclose on the possibilities for compromise and consensus in the way we do business.”
He stressed also that indeed, the make-up of the new Parliament dictates that “we seek consensus and compromise and should resist the temptation to believe that any party can ride rough shod over another…Any such attempt may see us missing the historical opportunities that this new composition offers…I urge that we put the interest of our people first.”
He urged that the Parliamentarians work assiduously to find common ground within and outside of the hallowed chambers of the Parliament adding, “Within my administration there exists the political will to do so.”
He reminded that the government has already committed to regular engagements with the parliamentary parties through the “Tripartite Approach.”
The President also drew reference to the 21st Century challenges that confront the nation regionally and internationally and urged that ways be crafted to frontally approach these challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that are presented.
One such example that the President expounded on, was the global food security situation with some seven billion mouths to feed and Guyana’s potential given its arable available land.
The President spoke also of the world engines of growth as they relate to the economies and the challenges facing nations such as the US, Europe and Japan, adding that the opportunities that are present in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries must be explored.
“Many of the problems we often have to confront are not made by us, but often originate in different parts of the world, sometimes in countries very far from our own shores,” reminded Ramotar.
This he said is one of those times when “we have to keep focused on international events due to the potential impact on our country…As you are aware the traditional drivers of the world’s economy have all been experiencing grave economic and political problems.”
According to the President, “The fact is that the weight of those countries in world affairs is so great that the effects cannot be contained within their borders…The interconnections of the world economy have ensured that all are affected to one degree or the other.”
He said that the BRIC countries have made great contributions to keep the world economy on the move and they have prevented it from going in total recession adding that “This is good news since the world’s economy is now resting on broader and more shoulders.”
He did warn that, “In these new and changing circumstances our foreign policy becomes very important…This policy must be conducted to fundamentally protect us from the negative impact of the global crises and to give us an opportunity to grow.”
He said that Guyana must continue to build and consolidate relations with traditional partners while, at the same time, broadening those relations with others, “particularly those emerging economies with whom we have had long-standing, friendly and fruitful ties.”
He said that expanding Guyana’s relations will open new markets for its products and services and make the country less susceptible to the economic shocks that originate from outside our borders.

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