says APNU Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge. BY KNEWS - Promises have been broken; there is nothing left to be discussed between APNU and Ramotar...say Carl Greenidge Opposition Leader, David Granger has declared that despite a date not being set, he is still open to talks with President Donald Ramotar over Local Government Election. However, this is to the dismay of some of Granger’s parliamentarians who contend that when one considers the promises made and broken by the government when it comes to elections, there is nothing left to discuss. Particularly, A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Minister of Finance, Carl Greenidge is saying that nothing at all associated with the call for Local Government Elections needs to be discussed between APNU and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). “Any discussions need to be undertaken with the Opposition as a whole and should be on the implementation of the changes in general electoral arrangements recommended by the Electoral Reform Commission,” the former Finance Minister asserted. Greenidge said that he noted President Ramotar’s statement in a letter to APNU, about his willingness to agree to talks after his return from the United Nations General Assembly. The Shadow Finance Minister reminded that his leader had written the President concerning the constitutional obligation to hold Local Government elections. But then the President said that he did not need to be advised on this matter. Greenidge said that based on the content of Granger’s letter, it intended not so much to tell the President what he is obliged to do but to notify him that the Opposition will exercise its right to pressure the Government to carry out its obligations under the Constitution. Granger had given the President an ultimatum to set a date for Local Government Elections but after this was not met, several protests around the country were held by APNU. While the Opposition Leader is still committed to meeting with the President despite a date not being set, Greenidge disclosed that the shadow Cabinet has not discussed or agreed to this or any new approach to the PPP regarding elections. “When we last discussed the matter of talks with Granger, all speakers were at pains to remind him of the untrustworthiness of the PPP and also of the fact that none of the previous agreements with his predecessors were honoured. Since 2011, the President’s promises to have a Committee review and make recommendations on the VAT and the equitable sharing of the tax burden, to engage in meaningful discussions on constitutional change, the implementation of legislation on Local Government and the holding of elections, have not been honoured. Granger would be foolish to accept the PPP’s word in those circumstances,” Greenidge declared. The APNU Parliamentarian said that nothing at all associated with the call Local Government Election needs to be discussed between APNU and PPP judging from the games played by government with regard to the legislation so far. He added that APNU is not in a position to impale itself electorally by seeking to make a choice between the General and Local Government Elections. The legislation, he asserted, requires both and he insisted that APNU is “not about to assist the PPP by giving them a get out of jail card.” “I sense that they and some of their foreign backers have in mind negotiations to hold LG elections on condition that the national elections are left until 2016 by which time the public will have forgotten the crime committed and the PPP will have had sufficient time to make all their hangers on and Ministers millionaires. It will not happen,” Greenidge stated. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee said that judging from government’s comments since the No-Confidence Motion, it seems to be looking for some disruption to cause the deferment of the motion. However, “The Opposition has arrived at the motion as a result of unimaginable scales of executive abuses and lawlessness. Nothing will save them,” he concluded.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 11:49:40 +0000
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