The PNCR says that no major progress has been made in the dialogue since the signing of the May 6th Communique between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition leader Robert Corbin but the government has denied these contentions which it labels "surprising".
PNCR leader Corbin also says that the delays which have been encountered in the implementation of agreements in the Communique have exposed inefficiencies in the monitoring mechanism which he wants reviewed. He added that "I believe that the PNCR has over the last year, in the face of public criticism and in some cases at the expense of popularity, done its part to put Guyana First but my party cannot do it alone". He declared that the PNCR must now review the entire situation and from last weekend was scheduled to commence a series of meetings around the country on the situation and the options to be pursued.
Although the government does admit some problems and delays in the constructive engagement - a meeting between the President and Corbin is now more than six-weeks behind schedule - it holds the view that the PNCR is not without blame, according to a letter sent by Prime Minister Sam Hinds to Corbin on the President's behalf.
At the PNCR's weekly press conference last Thursday, the party leader told reporters that there have been difficulties in having the monitoring mechanism - in place to check on the implementation of the agreements - functioning in the manner envisaged and agreed in the Communique and the Follow-Up Agreement.
"Many Guyanese and other stakeholders had very high expectations that the process of constructive engagement would have brought an end to certain problems and ushered in a new era of peace, progress and understanding. It is now one hundred and ninety days since the signing of the Communique and one hundred and forty days since the signing of the Follow-Up Agreement. Yet, those expectations have not been realised," Corbin said.
At the last meeting between President Jagdeo and Corbin on September 15th, it was agreed that their next meeting would be held within two weeks of that date to discuss outstanding items, including Inclusive Govern-ance, on the agenda. That meeting never took place.
In hopes of salvaging public confidence in the process, Corbin said he wrote the President last Tuesday giving his assessment of the present status of the constructive engagement.
Service commissions
He ventilated his concerns about several issues, including the proposals to expedite the constitution of the four service commissions and the related matter of the appointment of a new Police Commissioner, due since the April 2002 consultation with late Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte.
Corbin said his party would support the appointment of the new Commissioner in the same way the present Commiss-ioner was appointed and the retroactive payment of benefits to which he would have been entitled if the Commission was constituted.
He also cited an agreed review of the procurement legislation, which has failed to produce any results and the failure to establish the Public Procurement Commission; expediting projects agreed on by the Depressed Commun-ities Needs Committee, which has not done any work on three of the agreed second phase projects because its co-Chairman Philomena Sahoye-Shury says she has no instructions from the President.
The PNCR leader also referred to the completion of the procedures to ensure equitable access to the state media; and the appointment of members to the state media boards. The GTV and GBC Boards are yet to be completed and the notices by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon that the Boards are likely to be dissolved because of the proposed merger of the two entities, are not in consonance with the understanding arrived at on September 15th, Corbin added.
"The facts are indisputable. Consequently, the constructive engagement process has suffered... Only real progress and a demonstrated will to act in good faith will restore confidence in the process. What is relevant... is what the leaders can honestly report to the nation on the progress... At this stage I would venture to say that there is not much to report," he said.
However, on behalf of the President who was abroad at the time the letter was received, Prime Minister Hinds in the letter to Corbin said the Government is unconvinced and disputes the contention that substantial progress has not been made. Hinds added that the PNCR never expressed such sentiments in the Press Statement issued after the September 15th meeting and in its report to the monitoring mechanism.
On the monitoring mechanism, Hinds said it was the PNCR's high representative who caused the postponement of the first two meetings. In the first instance Hinds noted that the PNCR high representative abandoned an agreed position on alternating production and submission of the reports of the high representatives. In the second instance the PNCR representative ignored an agreement not to meet with the monitoring group "in the context of the failure of the high representatives to agree on the text of the press statement".
"Our high representatives are committed to the process of implementing the monitoring mechanism and are willing to consider any suggestion on improving it..." Hinds wrote.
Addressing the establishment of the Service Commissions, Hinds said the two Parliamentary nominees have been selected. In relation to the appointment of the non-Parliamentary nominees, he pointed out that Corbin had given an undertaking to provide a response to the President.
"That response is outstanding since September 15th and has contributed to the delay in the commencement of our meaningful consultation in the appointment to the Service Commissions...
It is difficult then... to accept that you, personally, are unaware of the PNCR's formidable contributions to the delay in the appointment of the Police Commissioner."
Of the PNCR's proposals for the appointment of the new commissioner and the retroactive payments of benefits, Hinds said the need for this course is not as great since the major hurdle to reconstituting the commissions has been crossed.
Meanwhile, Hinds said the discussions on the procurement legislation were suspended after fruitful engagements to get legal opinions on seeming contradictions and ambiguities in the legislation. An arrangement for bilateral exchanges to continue on November 12th was aborted because the President left the country and this created a conflict with the schedule.
On the Public Procurement legislation and the Public Procurement Commission, Hinds said there was an understanding at the last bilateral meeting that a number of legal issues had to be addressed and the next meeting would have taken place on Wednesday, November 13th. Also, that on October 29th the high representatives, in trying to resolve the impasse surrounding the appointment of the Commission, proposed that they would resort to the leaders at their scheduled meeting, in addition to the work of the Parliamentary Appointive Committee.
On the equitable access to the state media, Hinds said after prolonged discussions at their meetings, PNCR high representative Deryck Bernard undertook to collate all the points made, to extend the ambit of equitable access beyond that which was identified in the Bi-partisan committee's report to the leaders. Bernard's collation was intended for the attention of the leaders.
In relation to the Parliamentary facilities, Hinds noted that funding has been provided for the rest of the year to complete rehabilitation of the roof and ceiling.
On the issue of the State Media Boards, Hinds said Dr. Luncheon has disclosed that the PNCR knew of Government's plans. Luncheon also indicated that the PNCR representatives knew of an understanding, since the 1998 dialogue, that supported the Administra-tion's act not to appoint PNCR nominees to Boards of entities that were being privatised, although they pleaded for the departure from that convention because exceptional circumstances existed at GTV and GBC.
Hinds also said that during discussions with the President on appointments to the Boards, Corbin did agree to that convention being one which restricted PNCR appointments to the Boards of Directors of such entities.
Hinds added that the board of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited was appointed in accordance with the agreed upon formula and does include PNCR representation.
The Prime Minister did not address Corbin's concerns in relation to the depressed communities committee.