The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) have categorically denied the assertions being peddled by the incumbent A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration that the no-confidence motion advanced by the Party was done to take advantage of President David Granger’s unfortunate medical condition.
“The Coalition Government’s propaganda machinery has been churning out one wild and baseless allegation after another, regarding the No-Confidence Motion since it was filed in the National Assembly, nearly a month ago. The pace has progressively increased with each passing day. It will be recalled that the No-Confidence Motion was only sent to the National Assembly by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) after the Government had announced that the President was in good health and that he was in Cuba merely for “medical investigations” the Party in a statement said.
According to the PPP, this claim is the farthest from the truth. They noted that the release on this most recent statement is to not only debunk this lie, but to also point out that the President has no vote in the National Assembly and therefore, his presence or absence in the country is absolutely immaterial to the motion.
“Recently, both Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, and leader of the AFC, Raphael Trotman, have once again invoked the President’s medical condition in their propagandistic outpourings,” the PPP release said.
Moreover, PPP asserted that when this Motion was tabled a month ago they requested that it be debated the earliest, more specifically, even before the reading of the National Budget.
“This request was rejected. The Government fixed the Motion to be debated on the 21st of December.”
Recently, the Leader of the Opposition Dr Bharrat Jagdeo expressed a willingness to have the Motion debated after the Christmas season and in early January.
He made this suggestion out of concern for the disruption it may have on the lives of the ordinary Guyanese and the business community during the festive season.
However, according to the Opposition, “Prime Minister Nagamootoo, in his usual thoughtless way and seeing an opening to exhibit egotistical bravado and arrogant brinkmanship, flatly rejected the suggestion and clumsily challenges the PPP to “bring it on.”
“After public pressure is rising for a postponement of the Motion, like a political chameleon, Nagamootoo then issues a call to the PPP to withdraw the Motion, once again, insensitively and callously exploiting the President’s illness as one of the basis of his call.”
Nevertheless, the PPP has “expressed deep regrets that the President’s unfortunate illness has become the subject of such juvenile political machinations by his own Government and we continue to wish him well and a speedy recovery. They noted that while the PPP remains ready, able and willing to debate the No-Confidence Motion at any time, it does not enjoy the power of postponing it.”
The press statement also further embedded that the reasons for the “no-confidence motion” were numerous, including the 30,000 jobs that have been lost with no further prospects for major job creation, the economic growth rates have tanked, nearly $200 billion racked up in new debt, rapid depletion of Guyana’s gold and other reserves, among others.
