Ramotar hints at scaling back talks with the opposition

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia

President Donald Ramotar says he will be re-considering relations with the parliamentary opposition following defeat of the key anti-money laundering legislation in the National Assembly on Thursday.

“With last night’s development, all hope is now lost that the opposition has any intention in being a partner in developing our country. It is in this context that I am forced to re-examine our Government future relationship with the opposition parties,” President Ramotar said at a press conference Friday.

In examining his future relations with the political opposition the President said those that are constitutionally mandated will have to be upheld, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Ramotar had been leading talks with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) which together holds a one seat majority in the National Assembly.

According to GINA, it was through these engagements with the parliamentary parties that the President and the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration was seeking to encourage and nurture political trust and create an enabling climate for consensus – building.    

Engagements with the political opposition on several issues of importance to the country, like the 2012 and 2013 National Budget and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project ended unsuccessfully.

President Ramotar was reported as saying that there could be no question about the government’s commitment and he reportedly pointed to numerous engagements where the government was “the one making all the reasonable offers.”

“You would recall that we had several discussions with them when we were putting together our first budget in 2012. We stuck to our side of the agreement at all times; the opposition never stuck to any of their agreements…in the budget talks we were the ones making all the compromises,” GINA reported  Ramotar as saying.