By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Leader of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo has shed some light on several reports regarding his recent meeting with President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency.
According to the Opposition Leader, the meeting was scheduled to facilitate discussions on a wide array of issues but only one was dealt with since he was not prepared for the others having not been briefed about the agenda.
He told a news conference on September 08 that other persons in the meeting included Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of State Joseph Harmon and several other high ranking members of Cabinet.
The issue discussed was relative to Guyana’s ongoing spat with Venezuela, which is claiming 2/3 of Guyana’s territory.
“I said to him [President Granger], I did not need to consult on this issue, the Opposition will fully support all national efforts related to preserving the sovereignty of our country,” said Jagdeo.
He however indicated that some concerns were raised about Guyana’s economic diplomacy policy which according to Jagdeo is lacking.
“You cannot wage a campaign that they are raping the resources of our country and then expect to build relations,” said the Opposition Leader.
He said that putting aside the border controversy it would be important for the government to bear in mind that Guyana shares a border with Venezuela and this situation will persist indefinitely.
“In relation to Venezuela and Suriname I said that while we vigorously pursue the defense of our country that Guyana keep the doors of communication open because we are still going to be neighbors centuries from now and we need to have good relations and functional cooperation,” said Jagdeo.
Meanwhile, it was noted that the Opposition has offered the services of the former Attorney General Anil Nandlall to bring the new Attorney General Basil Williams up to scratch on all the litigation that the Government is currently involved in at the level of the court.
He said before the PPP left office it was in pursuit of over $20B in outstanding taxes and would not want to see efforts made in this regard be in vain.
