Govt willing to work with Opposition for national good – AG

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall has signalled the willingness of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration to meaningfully engage with the parliamentary Opposition to push the national development agenda forward.

Nandlall, during an interview programme “Government in Focus”, noted that all of President Irfaan Ali’s pronouncements so far have pointed to the need to develop a country that caters for all Guyanese, irrespective of ethnicity, political affiliation or any other consideration.
“The President has emphasised the need to build a cohesive, united Guyana where every Guyanese citizen can feel that they have an equal place and are treated equally, and can benefit equally from the resources of this country,” the Attorney General posited.
In this regard, he added that the new Administration has begun the process of shaping and implementing policy that would benefit everyone, and would certainly seek to engage any stakeholder who desires to work for the national good.
He reminded: “the PPP/C’s manifesto was not crafted at Freedom House in a backroom in isolation with two or three persons.” He outlined that there were national consultations with all stakeholders to arrive at the final document.
However, Nandlall said that while the ruling PPP/C would wish to engage the Opposition coalition in taking Guyana forward, his hope is that those who were involved in the attempts to derail the March 2 General and Regional Elections are excluded from the process.
According to Nandlall, such persons are unfit and improper to provide leadership because they attempted to destroy the country. “They put this nation in jeopardy and expose us to serious risks.”
“The Government’s view is that we will work with the Opposition. Hopefully, it will not constitute some or all of those people,” he expressed.
Nandlall asserted that there is need for “a fresh group of people” in political leadership who have the interest of Guyana and Guyanese are heart.
He expressed that the APNU/AFC members are all seasoned politicians “who knew that they lost the elections since March 3,” but they were bent on taking the country down the precipice for their own self-interest – to hang on to power illegally.
“I am hoping we would have responsible Opposition on the other side of the parliamentary isle with whom we can work responsibly, not necessary to support our political positions, but positions that are in the national interest,” he added.
According to the AG, Guyanese have demonstrated that they have matured as a people and there is renewed optimism that the differences and divisions which exist in the country could be resolved.
He noted that there are forces who wanted to destroy and disintegrate society, but they did not succeed.
“The fact that they did not succeed means that they didn’t get the support of the Guyanese public. They thought they had, and many times when they tried to bring the people on the streets to cause the chaos and confusion and violence which they wanted to create, they failed abysmally.”
Nandlall reminded that on the night of the No-Confidence Motion, the APNU/AFC said they will get eight thousand persons in front of the Parliament, but “they couldn’t get eighty”.
He added that following their attempts to derail the March 2 polls, they sent trucks into villages and tried to provoke and incite people, but “it did happen”.
“So what you found, you had a political elite group that didn’t have the support to execute that plan that they had to stay in power.
“Therefore, I am saying to you that we have, as a people, matured…This tragedy has allowed the world to see that and we as a people, demonstrated that – by not falling prey to the temptations that were hanging before us.”
He noted that the elements within the coalition were unable to create confusion because ordinary Guyanese do not want to see their country destroyed.
“So for those reasons, I am saying that we can easily heal,” Nandlall said.