Leader of the PNCR, Robert Corbin, says his party will not allow the government to manipulate constitutional bodies and will therefore take whatever action was necessary to foil unilateral plans to set up the service commissions.
On Tuesday the government announced its intention to move ahead on its own with the establishment of the four service commissions which have been held up for more than a year because of a stalemate between the ruling party and the opposition.
The Public Service, Teaching Service, Police and Judicial Service Commissions are vital for the appointment and disciplining of workers in the various public sectors.
Legal sources had told this newspaper that nothing in the Standing Orders of the National Assembly prevented the government from moving ahead with the establishment of the Standing Committee for appointments of members of the constitutional service commissions.
Corbin who had earlier this week described the government’s statement as a demonstration of bad faith, told reporters at his party’s weekly press conference yesterday that it represented a very sinister plot by the government to renege on decisions already made regarding the establishment of the parliamentary standing committees. Corbin said the government’s planned move also further illustrated the continuous trend of non-implementation of decisions which caused the breach in its relationship with the parliamentary opposition.
Referring to the Office of the President statement which had outlined the government’s plans, Corbin said, “In its usual approach, the statement is riddled with half-truths and downright misrepresentation of the facts.”
The PNCR leader said the administration’s deceit and mendacity made the path of constructive engagement difficult if not hazardous as it was evident that they were unwilling to address the issues outstanding for resolution.
When questioned on whether he would meet with President Bharrat Jagdeo, Corbin declared, “I am ready to meet with Jagdeo tomorrow, but I am not interested in a photo opportunity. I have a large constituency to represent and if I should go into dialogue with the President they would expect results.”
Corbin pointed out that the PNCR had already expressed its reservation that the appointment of the PPP’s enhanced team of Ministers, Henry Jeffrey and Gail Texeira, together with Roger Luncheon to join Minister Reepu Daman Persaud, is a ploy to avoid implementation of decisions.
He said it was because of the same unprincipled behaviour of the administration which had steadfastly resisted the implementation of the agreed parliamentary and constitutional reforms, as well as the decisions arrived at by Jagdeo and the late Desmond Hoyte, that the PNCR had boycotted the sittings of the National Assembly since March of last year.
Moreover, Corbin said it was disingenuous for the Office of the President to now be claiming that the PNCR’s abandonment of parliament and its failure to appoint a leader of the opposition had prevented the commissions being appointed.
According to Corbin rather than the government committing its resources to accelerating the preparations for the Jagdeo-Corbin meeting, it had unnecessarily resorted to high-handed, confrontational and provocative manoeuvres. The government has pointed out that the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition is crucial as the constitution requires the President to meaningfully consult with the holder of this post on some of the service commissions appointments.
In a Government Informa-tion Agency press release yesterday, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, said that the government had tried in all possible ways to get the PNCR to participate in the process.
He added that “nothing the President has caused to be initiated has in any way excluded the PNCR from current and future participation in these appointments”.