Pres Ali presses ahead with Pres Ali presses ahead with parliamentary engagement parliamentary engagement despite Opposition’s refusal despite Opposition’s refusal to attend

Economic committee meeting
…no-show at 2nd national-interest meeting

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday said his Government remains committed to engaging parliamentary committees, despite the continued absence of opposition members from meetings convened to discuss matters of national importance.
Ali made the statement in a post on his social media page following a meeting at State House with members of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services.

The meeting is part of the President’s efforts to strengthen coordination between the executive and legislative branches on economic matters.
“Today, I met with members of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services to further align my Government’s work with the legislative arm,” Ali said.
He said representatives were updated on key economic issues considered important to the Government’s plans and strategies for navigating challenges in the global environment.
According to Ali, all members of the committee were invited through the Speaker of the National Assembly to participate in the engagement.
“However, the Parliamentary Opposition did not participate in the meeting,” he said.
The latest engagement follows a similar meeting on Tuesday involving the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Foreign Relations, which Opposition members also did not attend.
At that meeting, Ali briefed members present on foreign policy matters, including Guyana’s ongoing proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the recently negotiated Third Country National Agreement between Guyana and the United States.
The President had said those issues carried implications for Guyana’s sovereignty, security and international partnerships, and that he wanted to hear the Opposition’s views.
The Opposition parties, in an attempt to justify their absence, however, questioned the manner in which the meetings were convened. They said the invitations did not include an agenda or sufficient information on the matters to be discussed.
Despite the Opposition’s position, Ali has said he intends to continue inviting parliamentary committees to engagements.
On Wednesday, he reiterated that position.
“My Government remains committed to strengthening its engagement with all parliamentary committees in an open, transparent and accountable manner,” the President said.
The meetings come against the backdrop of ongoing efforts by the Administration to establish greater engagement with parliamentary committees on matters spanning economic, foreign policy and national development issues.