L-R Surinamese Ambassador to Guyana, Ms. Manorma Sooknandan, Head of the EC Delegation, Mr. Vincent De Visscher, Secretary-General of CARICOM, Mr. Edward Carrington and British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Stephen Hiscock following the signing of the Regional Support Strategy yesterday at CARICOM Headquarters, Bank of Guyana building, Georgetown.
(Mike Norville picture).
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Jagdeo,
Corbin sign historic Communique By Shirley Thomas
The
signing of the Communique took place in the Credentials Room of the
Presidential Secretariat, and was witnessed by a large gathering
comprising: Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds; former President of Guyana,
Mrs. Janet Jagan; Commonwealth Point of Contact, Mr. Chucks S.
Ihekaibeya; Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran;
Deputy Speaker, Ms. Clarissa Rheil; Cabinet Ministers and other
Parliamentarians. Following
the signing of the Joint Communique, President Jagdeo in his brief
remarks, opened on the note that he wants to “look forward to the
future” and described the occasion as a ‘landmark’ for Guyana.
He considered the signing of the Agreement as having great importance
for our new Constitution. Said
President Jagdeo: “I hope that the engagement with the Leader of the
Opposition would be an ongoing one.” He was of the view that such
engagements with the Opposition should not become an event, but the
norm. Opposition
Leader, Mr. Robert Corbin, described the occasion as being very
significant. He however said that the signing was just the beginning -
the first of an attempt at putting together the foundation of what can
be built upon.
Noting that Guyana is at a very critical stage of its development, Corbin said he believed that if all patriotic Guyanese, interested in the future of Guyana work together, the country can still be made a beautiful place for all Guyanese. Corbin
said that the impasse was created because there were certain
dissatisfactions between the two parties on a number of issues, adding
that the ensuing process was not easy, but long and tedious. He also
recalled that Mr. Hoyte’s death came at a very difficult time, when
they had almost reached an impasse. Mr.
Corbin subsequently accepted the invitation from President Jagdeo to
see if “together,” through a process of engagement, they could
resolve the problems, which affected the progress in the country. He
said that it has taken three months which have been ‘properly
used’ by our various representatives to arrive at a Communique which
addresses many of the concerns which the People’s National
Congress-Reform had raised. Said
Corbin: “The communiqué addresses, in particular, many of the
parliamentary reforms which we agreed to in the last Constitutional
Process. He
recalled that he and President Jagdeo had very serious, long, tedious,
and sometimes very difficult discussions, but they have been able to
overcome them. He
said the Constitutional Reform Commission, addresses a number of
unresolved issues which have been of concern to the PNC-R during the
Hoyte-Jagdeo dialogue process, and it ushers in an era of
Parliamentary Democracy. Corbin
reasoned that, while the signing of the Communique does not
automatically transform Guyana or the Parliament into a Democracy, it
does have potential. He
thanked President Jagdeo for his cooperation, and now looks forward to
the implementation of this agreement. He added that the People’s
National Congress-Reform intends to ensure that it keeps the good
faith of this agreement. In
his response, President Bharrat Jagdeo endorsed what Mr. Corbin said,
adding: “I think he has captured the spirit of the agreement…” President
Jagdeo said the agreement will ensure that Guyana’s Parliament
becomes very ‘inclusive’ in terms of Opposition participation,
adding that, in his opinion, today Guyana has the most ‘inclusive’
Constitution in the Caribbean, and certainly one of the most inclusive
in the Commonwealth. He
noted that the Constitution not only provides for inclusivity in terms
of Opposition participations, but it also addresses several issues
that have been of concern to us. Said
President Jagdeo: “I hope that now the Constitutional bodies have
been established, we can in a non-rhetorical way, really get down to
addressing the issues.” He
was hopeful that the cooperation established will last long into the
future. The President referred to the Ethnic Relations Commission as
having the potential for improving the harmonious relations between
our peoples of different ethnic origin - something absolutely
essential if Guyana is to move forward. He
also thanked the international community, and many members of the
local Civil Society who have, over the year of the impasse, worked
tirelessly, and sought to get the two sides engaged constructively. |