[www.inewsguyana.com] – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) feels insulted that President Donald Ramotar left the country to attend the funeral of Nelson Mandela without extending an invitation to Leader of the Opposition, David Granger.
Executive Member of the APNU, Joseph Harmon told reporters on Monday, December 9 that while the Opposition Leader is not upset over the issue, persons have expressed their concerns that he was not invited to be part of the delegation.
President Ramotar and Director General, Elizabeth Harper were the only two persons who will be representing Guyana at the funeral of Mandela. Harmon explained that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government should take a page out of the book of the Trinidad and Tobago Government, which invited its Opposition Leader to be part of the delegation representing the people of Trinidad.
“The President leaving the country very quietly and you only knew he left after he had left. Other countries in the Caribbean in particular Trinidad and Tobago has set a very high standard and this is what you call mature democracies and in mature democracies that is how a government behaves.”
According to Harmon, this would have been “the moment” for the President to show the people that he is noble.
“I believe would have been a signal moment for the President to show that he is magnanimous, that is what the people of Guyana wanted and this is what would represent the people of Guyana but clearly this is not in the thinking of the PPP and therefore the President has gone off with a very small delegation to represent this country when an opportunity existed for us to show a broad unanimity on this issue, because Mandela brought people together, he was a man of peace,” Harmon told reporters.
As such, the APNU has established the signing of a book of condolences at its Hadfield Street office, opened to everyone from 9:00 – 18;00hrs daily.
