By James McAllister
Gail Teixeira should know better. For her to suggest PNCR Leader David Granger, a former President, should attend a meeting to set an agenda and break ice is just ludicrous. This raises the question of the PPP’s seriousness about serious national engagement.
During the APNU-AFC term in office, the PPP threw up a smoke screen to avoid meeting to discuss constitutional reform and Shared Governance. They declared they were not going to meet with Moses Nagamootoo. Is this invitation to a meeting to break ice, an invitation which Mr Granger cannot accept, just another smoke screen to avoid serious national dialogue?
Since the elections the PPP sent signals of its intent to circumvent serious engagement. During the 2020 election recount then Opposition Leader Bharat Jagdeo declared there will be no dialogue before the results are declared. After the declaration he demanded that Opposition Leader Joe Harmon recognize the legitimacy of the PPP Government before any dialogue. Now we have an invitation to a “non-meeting” to discuss agenda, and break ice.
If the PPP is serious about dialogue and a serious national conversation there are a few things it should do. Firstly, it should quietly appoint an emissary to engage a similar person from the opposition. The emissaries could discuss the terms and conditions for Opposition Leader Joe Harmon recognizing the PPP Government. This engagement must be on the premise that recognition is the precursor to a wholehearted national dialogue.
However, the PPP cannot logically expect recognition without preconditions when an election petition is in the courts. It must undertake to allow the petition to move with speed and alacrity. It must commit to not destroying evidence and to allow state entities to present evidence to the court. It must pledge to immediately establish a government of national unity, when or if the petition is upheld by the courts. This unity government must have the task of ensuring genuine free and fair elections, and a post election Shared Governance arrangement.
However, the PPP has no incentive to do this. The PPP is not interested in national dialogue. This is why Opposition Leader Joe Harmon needs to look at revisiting his position on the legitimacy of the PPP Government from time to time. At the moment he is refusing to verbally recognize the PPP. However, there is tacit recognition through his participation in parliament etc. If the PPP intervenes in the judiciary to stall the petition, he should withdraw from parliament. Then he should gradually escalate political action, starting from picketing exercises and gradually escalating to public meetings, sit-ins, localized marches, and culminating with sustained country-wide marches.
However this unfolds, one thing is becoming clear, Governance Minister Gail Teixeira is quickly disqualifying herself as the point of contact for the engagement between the PPP Government and the APNU-AFC opposition. She cannot be publicly asserting the PNCR Leader is rude, as if he is her subordinate, and still expect to engage him.