“We can’t be muzzled by talks but we want to give it a fair shot” -Jagdeo on talks with Granger

Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 July 2018, 20:48 by Denis Chabrol

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday vowed that he and his People’s Progressive Party (PPP) would not be muzzled in exchange for talks with President David Granger, but he is willing to go into the political negotiations.

“We can’t be muzzled by talks but we want to give it a fair shot” he told a news conference.

Jagdeo said due to heightened preparations for Local Government Elections the PPP has not yet discussed the Guyanese leader’s offer to hold talks, following telephone conversations with former United States President, Jimmy Carter of the Carter Centre.

Expected to form part of the deliberations by the Executive Committee of the PPP is whether to ask the President to add other issues on the agenda. Granger wants to discuss security, environment, and oil and gas. However, there are indications that the PPP might be interested in including governance and constitutional reform

“I intend to put the issue before the party and if we want to add issues to the agenda and then when that is completed we will notify the President,” he said.

The Opposition Leader said he was wary of government possibly asking the PPP to cease criticising its actions if the two sides are to hold talks.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo denied asking Granger to remove Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo as the man to lead government into talks with the opposition. Instead, Jagdeo explained that the PPP’s position that Nagamoootoo was a political lightweight with no portfolio and unable to make binding decisions on behalf of the coalition and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the largest party in the governing coalition.

“I did not ask for his removal”, Jagdeo said, adding that the the President could have empowered the Prime Minister.”If anybody throw him under the bus, is they threw him under the bus”.

Jagdeo does not expect those talks to begin next month because of the PNCR’s Biennial Congress in August and Local Government Elections are slated for November 12.