Amid lingering concerns about talks between the Government and the main Parliamentary Opposition, President Dr Irfaan Ali today contended that the Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon must first correct the mischief his party has created and then publicly declare his recognition of the PPP/C administration.
Responding to questions posed by media operatives on the issue of dialogue with the APNU+AFC Coalition, the Head of State explained that the opposition party must correct its wrongs – referring to the attempts made to rig the 2020 elections.
“The Leader of the Opposition has a choice, you know…sometimes you have to decide what is foolhardy and what you really want to achieve. I don’t know what bubble he is living in. but I am sure the Leader of the Opposition is aware, like the rest of the world, that he trampled upon democracy,” President Ali explained.
He further asserted that Harmon “has a responsibility to his supporters to come clean”.
“How long are you going to continue on this road, how long are you going to deny yourself the truth and sell a narrative that is filled with such falsehood,” President Ali expressed.
The President made it clear that he is ready to speak with all Guyanese and he pointed out that, in fact, he has been doing just that. The Head of State has met with a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including members of the smaller parties that participated in last year’s elections, religious organisations, the private sector, youth leaders, among others.
“The question is, is the leader of the opposition ready to speak to the legitimately elected government,” the Head of State posited.
He went on to explain that “the hardest thing in life is to recognise that you’ve made and error and to own up to that error”, and move forward.
In this regard, he called on the APNU+AFC Opposition to “correct” their “mischief”, referring to the narrative being peddled by opposition members about the legitimacy of the PPP/C Government and the events that transpired at the 2020 polls.
President Ali argued that Harmon and the Opposition are “trying to push a narrative that he knows is so false”.
The Head of State further expressed that: “The Leader of the Opposition needs to recognise the Government and the President and I don’t want no implicit recognition, he must go out there publicly and say that the Government is legitimate and that he is recognising the Government and the President and then let’s talk.”
