With less than one week before the constitutional 90-day deadline expires and puts Guyana in uncharted waters, the Inter-Religious Organisation of Guyana has called on the political leaders to ensure that peace and harmony is maintained during this period.
In a letter to both President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, the IRO said it wants a peaceful elections process, something they had strived for since 2006 through the establishment of a Peace Pact.
The agreement was signed at a public ceremony on the grounds of the Parliament Buildings by the political parties running in that elections.
In its missive, the IRO noted that promoting peace and harmony during times like these is part of its ethos. To this end, the organisation is imploring with both political leaders to preserve and maintain the peace and harmony in the country.
“The IRO feels that Guyanese have the capacity to resolve their issues and in the spirit of peacekeepers, offers and stands ready to serve as mediators, and as a possible resolution, has suggested that the leaders may wish to reconsider shared governance that promotes collaboration, partnership and political stability for the sake of our country and our people,” the missive stated.
According the inter-faith organisation, it is awaiting the responses from the political leaders as it continues to pray for the well-being of the people of Guyana.
Immediately after the no-confidence motion was passed on December 21, 2018, both President Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had initially committed to following the provisions outlined in the Constitution, facilitating early elections and engaging in dialogue with the Leader of the Opposition but they have since changed their position.
Despite many calls for the President to uphold the constitution and set a date for elections, the Head of State insists that he first needs to be guided by Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). But the elections body has indicated that it cannot hold polls before the March 21 deadline and has voted to do house to house registration which will conclude in November.
The Opposition in recent statement had called out the Head of State for his duplicity regarding elections, noting that he rejected a work plan put forward by one of PPP Commissioners on GECOM. This proposal caters for the holding elections before April 30, when the voters’ list will expire.
But in a subsequent on Saturday, the Ministry of the Presidency said that the President has not rejected the April work plan but rather, has asked that it be submitted to GECOM instead.
Nevertheless during an emergency meeting at GECOM on Thursday, the Opposition’s Commissioners were forced to walk out after the government-nominated commissioners sidelined the motion on its proposal to discuss other matters.
With only five more days before the deadline expires, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has already engaged several international bodies and the diplomatic community here to not recognise the Coalition Government after March 21.
