Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira says that former President David Granger made an unfortunate judgement call when he rejected the invitation to join President Irfaan Ali and the other former presidents of Guyana for a meeting earlier this week.
Minister Teixeira had sent the invitation on behalf of President Ali to all four of Guyana’s former Heads of State – Granger, Donald Ramotar, Bharrat Jagdeo and Samuel Hinds – to discuss a range of issues for national development.
However, Granger declined the invitation and asked that the meeting be deferred until an agenda is fixed.
But according to Minister Teixeira, the former Guyanese leader missed a golden opportunity.
“One of the things that I think politicians have to know when there is an opportunity out there, and you go make a mistake and reject it, it is always a delicate balance. And that is why politics is such a fascinating field. It has to do with judgement calls that you make, and, I believe in this case, Mr. Granger has made a very unfortunate judgment call,” she told DPI on Friday.
Nevertheless, the Minister noted that the door is still open as “we have not shut the door on Mr. Granger.”
Teixeira further posited that Granger should not feel “intimidated” by meeting the former Presidents.
“It was a meeting of former presidents and the present and he would not feel outnumbered. That was not the meeting of political parties, but of former Presidents – completely different dimensions. I hope that Mr. Granger in his quiet time will reflect and realise it’s time to get on board the Guyana ship and let’s look at the major issues of national concern for our country,” she said.
On Thursday, President Ali extended another invitation to the former Head of State to join discussions on areas that will see the country benefitting. He plans to meet with the former presidents once quarterly going forward.
At the first meeting on Tuesday, the Guyanese leaders discussed topical issues such as border security, sovereignty, the environment, including climate change, oil and gas with a focus on local content, enhancing national security and constitutional reform. Also on the agenda was electoral reform, national unity with a focus of reforming the Racial Hostility Act and finding ways to ensure good governance.
President Ali had said the agenda was not fixed and Mr. Granger could bring his ideas to the table at the next meeting.
