With a sitting of the National Assembly scheduled today, a top Government official yesterday said the PNC/R is showing no signs of changing its position or trying to end the deadlock.

The PNC/R withdrew from participation in the National Assembly on March 15 last over perceived differences with the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). The PNC/R said the action was to register "total disgust" at the failure of the Government to honour its responsibility for good governance; refusal to implement constitutional changes and recommendations made during dialogue between the sides; and subverting and preventing the National Assembly from functioning in a structured and effective manner.

Yesterday, Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon told his regular post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the President in Georgetown that the PNC/R has "remained intractable".

He said on that basis, the governing party, were it to be fully convinced that the PNC/R's position would not change, would find the need to resort to Parliament unilaterally to appoint an Appointments Committee and move on with the appointment of "...various bodies, appointments that are being held in abeyance currently."

Asked to justify the Government's decision to move ahead unilaterally in Parliament, Luncheon had this to say: "There are pitifully few steps or interventions that are left in the repertoire of the governing party to resolve this issue.

"It is our opinion that once these few steps would have been taken and our expectations that the PNC/R responses would remain the same, that our resort to Parliament unilaterally would be fully justified...

"...not only on the one side of having exhausted all reasonable, practical and conventional steps, but on the other side in recognition of the jeopardy in not having constitutional obligations met in both a timely or in an appropriate way."

Luncheon added, "so our intention is to exhaust all possible interventions, most of which have been done, but as I said, a pitifully few remain and once President (Bharrat) Jagdeo has signalled that they also have been exhausted, then the sole alternative is unilateral Parliament action by the PPP/Civic."

In the meantime, he said Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud is continuing his consultations with the parliamentary Opposition parties about the sitting of Parliament and the agenda and efforts aimed at breaking the deadlock.

"Minister Persaud has underscored the fact that despite the failure to appoint the expected management committee, the Government would honour its undertaking to consult and in so doing, will also honour its commitment to provide dedicated time for Opposition members, their questions and their motions...," Luncheon said.

According to him, it is in this context that the "rescheduled meeting of Parliament" is being held today at 14:00 hrs in the National Assembly.

Today's sitting would see a number of motions, papers and bills being dealt with, including the long awaited Policy Paper on Land and House Lot Distribution and the second reading of the Tourism Authority Bill.

Housing and Water Minister, Mr. Shaik Baksh will be piloting his submission of the Policy Paper on Land and House Lot Distribution. Luncheon recalled that this presentation is an outcome of the dialogue process between President Jagdeo and Opposition Leader, Mr. Desmond Hoyte and the bi-partisan committee that was established under the ensuing processes.

"The President made a commitment to have the policy paper address a review of the current situation in house lot and land distribution and for the paper to propose steps, measures and mechanisms to demonstrate transparency and accountability in house lots distribution," he told reporters.

Today's sitting would also discuss another Government motion which will entail the establishment of a parliamentary committee to review public holidays in Guyana, he said.

The sitting would also deal with an Opposition motion by the PNC/R calling for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into matters concerning the Police Force.

With regard to bills, this afternoon's sitting would importantly deal with the second reading of the Tourism Authority Bill, dedicated to the development of tourism in Guyana, and which enshrines public-private sector partnership and collaboration in the development of tourism here, Luncheon said.

He also announced that Mr. Sherwood Isaacs would now assume the responsibility of Clerk of the National Assembly following the resignation of former Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Frank Narain after a "long and faithful service" in that important position.

According to Luncheon, Isaacs has been the Deputy Clerk for many years under the guidance of Narain and has now been provided with the opportunity to serve in the capacity of Clerk.