PPP uncertain about occupying parliamentary seats

Last Updated on Monday, 1 June 2015, 16:28 by GxMedia

by Zena Henry

The main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is yet to decide whether it will occupying its 32 seats in National Assembly following their defeat at the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

“One has to make a distinction between determining who goes to Parliament, who goes on the regional democratic councils, who goes as chairman and vice chairman; between those decisions and the decision to go to parliament, these are two separate and distinct decisions. They do follow… that in choosing your MPs and so forth that you go into the Parliament right away,” said PPP General Secretary.

He stated that former Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar have not indicated willingness to serve in National Assembly.

The party is expected to carry out a series of discussions on this and several other issues starting today Monday June 1, but they are more concerned with making the best tactical move given the “fluid” political climate.

Rohee highlighted this at the party’s weekly press briefing held at their Robb Street base. The General Secretary was explaining a number of intertwined issues are to be addressed following the elections almost one month ago.

Rohee said that the party has to go through critical consultation periods with its memberships from the all levels and that takes time. “We have to go back through that same process in respect to regional councillors,  chairman and vice chairman m of those regions we have won as well as those regions we have not one, particularly the councilors and then for the MPs,” he said.

He said that there have been periods in history where, “we settled on Parliamentarians, but we did not go into Parliament.”He pointed that that was once a tactic by the People’s National Congress (PNC) under the Hoyte Administration.

“So one has to look at these things in all its complexities given the fluidness of the political situation, occurring .at this point,” Rohee highlighted.

He said, however, that the last decision on this matter is to be taken at the executive and central committee level and this will be done, “as we settle on one or the other tactical moves.