Stabroek News
April 21, 2001

Dialogue between President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNC Reform leader Desmond Hoyte which was agreed to in principle over two weeks ago is scheduled to start on Tuesday.

Mr. Hoyte has put a number of issues on the agenda. Some ought to be capable of a quick response such as the appointment of a joint committee to tackle urban unemployment. There may perhaps be a donor funded project in the pipeline that will provide jobs in the city that can be prioritised or adjusted. As for the bauxite industry, efforts to privatise this have been made since the previous Hoyte government. At the moment two companies are interested. The Privatisation Unit can no doubt provide an update so that the options can be reviewed. Then there are the constitutional measures still to be passed. A list of these can be agreed and parliamentary time scheduled.

There are some other matters which can be grappled with by joint committees or such other mechanisms as may be agreed. What is needed to reassure the population is a sense that dialogue is being taken seriously on both sides and that there is a meeting of minds and a working together in good faith. Not every issue may be capable of resolution quickly or at all but each one must be explored seriously.

There will be an enormous sense of relief if it becomes clear that the two political leaders are exchanging ideas and dealing with each other with respect. That would go some way to relieving the considerable tension that still exists, given the unsettled situation and continuing sporadic acts of violence. President Jagdeo has already indicated a way of defusing the tension over Dr. Roger Luncheon's re-appointment as Head of the Presidential Secretariat by expressing a willingness in principle to discuss the position that he should no longer be head of the civil service. That is the kind of flexibility that will be needed.

One senses that despite our current plight there is a real opportunity if the two leaders can rise to the occasion. The huge volume of letters we have been receiving from readers both here and overseas shows clearly that Guyanese of every class and race are deeply concerned about the future of the nation and are hoping for a solution that will permit stability and development. Dialogue had failed before, that must not happen again. Let the dialogue begin and may it be serious, transparent and productive.