Pres. Ali undeterred by Opposition’s failure to attend meeting on national interests

The Parliamentary Opposition on Tuesday failed to attend a meeting with President Dr Irfaan Ali, who had extended an invitation for a meeting with two key parliamentary committees to discuss collaboration between the executive and legislative arms to holistically develop the nation.

However, the absence of Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Foreign Relations opposition members did not deter the President, who said that although their failure to attend was both disappointing and puerile, he would continue working to bridge the relationship gap for the bettering of the nation and he forged ahead with members present.

According to Dr Ali, he would continue to invite committees and hopes that one day they see the value and attend. He said that the meeting with other members were used the occasion to brief them on pivotal foreign policy matters, including the ongoing International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceedings and the recently negotiated Third Country National Agreement between Guyana and the United States (US). Ali had on Monday, at a press conference, reasoned that both issues carry profound implications for Guyana’s sovereignty, security and international partnerships and it was why he wanted to hear from the opposition.

Office of the President on Tuesday highlighted that all members of the committee were duly invited to participate. Yet, by the time the meeting commenced, opposition members had not formally responded to an invitation extended to them through the Speaker of the National Assembly. Members on the committee present welcomed the engagement and expressed enthusiasm for continued dialogue. For the opposition’s part, parties issued statements saying that the invitations requested their attendance but notably did not include an agenda or outline of discussion points.

The Opposition members argued that without clarity on the purpose of the meeting, their participation would amount to little more than a symbolic gesture rather than substantive consultation. The Office of the Leader of the Opposition (LOO) for which US sanctioned and indicted leader Azruddin Mohamed leads, released a statement expressing “umbrage” at the manner in which the President sought to engage the committees.

The statement accused the President of bypassing the constitutional office of the Opposition Leader and undermining the independence of Parliament. According to the Opposition, clarification was sought from the Speaker of the National Assembly regarding the purpose of the meeting. Requests for an agenda or explanation of the meeting’s objectives reportedly yielded no meaningful response.

For A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), whose members also serve on both committees, through a separate statement they said that while they had no objection to meeting with the President in principle, such engagements must occur before agreements are finalised and signed. The party said that any meeting with the President must have a clear agenda and be accompanied by relevant documentation, including proposed agreements, financing frameworks, and assessments of their implications.

Without these, they argued, opposition members would be reduced to rubber stamps rather than active participants in shaping policy. The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), another parliamentary opposition party, it aligned itself with APNU and the Opposition Leader’s office in not accepting the President’s invitation, as it argued that the issue was not simply about attendance or the absence of an agenda but about the President’s “continuing disregard” for Parliament as an institution. For the President, the Opposition parties constantly try to avoid engagements with one excuse or the next and are not looking at the nation’s interest. He said that he will continue to engage, “even if alone”.