The much anticipated meeting at State House between President David Granger and the Executive of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) concluded with the President standing his ground that consultations were carried out with the junior coalition partner.
The meeting came mere days after the reassignment of former Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine to the Public Service Division, which falls under the Ministry of the Presidency. The WPA had been critical of the lack of consultation that preceded the move.
When contacted about Roopnaraine’s transfer, WPA Executive member, Dr David Hinds had said that the party was not initially consulted. He indicated however that the President had requested a meeting with the WPA the day before the announcement.
The meeting with the President and Executive members of the WPA on Saturday at State House
“We sent our Chairperson, Desmond Trotman, to meet with the President. The President, at that meeting, announced the decision,” Hinds had said. “So yes, the WPA officially has some concerns about the way the matter was handled. We were informed about the decision after it was made. And we do have concerns about that.”
Consultations?
But according to Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who spoke with reporters following the meeting, President Granger had maintained his position during the meeting that there had indeed been consultation with the party before the reassignment of the party’s parliamentary representative, Dr Roopnaraine.
“The President explained that he did, in fact, consult but they felt that the consultation should be wider and deeper,” Harmon said. “The meeting this morning (Saturday) was about dealing with how we will consult and the way forward.”
“The President did, in fact, explain that the way the Coalition Government is structured is that there are representatives of the parties in the Cabinet and in the National Assembly and it is really a responsibility of the representatives of that party in the Cabinet (and Parliament) to ensure that they keep the (party members and) the Executives briefed on what is taking place in the Government,” Harmon said.
Describing the meeting as cordial, the Minister also said that the WPA Executives expressed that they understood that it is within the jurisdiction and authority of the President to assign or reassign Ministers as needed.
“His Excellency was very clear on the rearrangement, which needs to stay in place so that our coalition Government remains very strong and that is to say that all the parties within the coalition Government; the six parties, that we hold all of them as integral to the formation of our Government and we will continue to communicate with those parties,” Harmon said.
Meanwhile, when contacted on Saturday following the meeting, Hinds said that the meeting was a cordial and fraternal one; with the party representatives addressing the President in as frank a way as possible in raising their concerns. Declining to go into details, the party announced that it would be holding a press conference, scheduled for June 19. In a statement to the media on Saturday afternoon, the WPA said President Granger responded to their concerns and introduced some of his own.
“We are satisfied that there is a commitment on both sides to mutually address areas of concerns and contention and to work to strengthen relations within both the APNU and the wider coalition,” the statement added.
Attending the meeting for the WPA were Dr Clive Thomas, Dr David Hinds, Dr Wazir Mohammed, Dr Rishi Thakur, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Desmond Trotman, Tacuma Ogunseye, Jinnah Rahaman and Mazarool Ekbaal Ali Majeed. Accompanying the President, along with Minister Harmon, were Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams and Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally.
