"In some ways I am surprised and in other ways I am not. There were some people who were very critical of Mr. Hoyte, from his own party, (for) engaging in dialogue...at some time they were calling on him to resign", he said in a television/radio interview with Attorney-at-Law Mr. Hubert Rodney, due to be broadcast last night.

"...some people do not want the path of dialogue and social peace in this country," he said.

The PNC/R last month `paused' the dialogue process Mr. Jagdeo started with Hoyte about a year ago, over differences with the PPP/C.

The political decision to halt the process dates back to the PNC/R's philosophy that "you have to create confusion and keep people in poverty to win them over at election time because if things happen (progress is made) and standards of living improve, it may be more difficult to gain support", the President argued.

He said a stable environment and significant progress has been achieved under the present administration and as such the Opposition has lost support because the fruits of good governance from the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) are being realised.

"People are willing to sacrifice the wellbeing of even their supporters for narrow selfish political gains," he told Mr. Rodney, brother of the late renowned historian-politician, Dr. Walter Rodney.

He said that from a preview of a conversation involving leading PNC/R members, he gathered that the Opposition party did not believe Guyana would have been bestowed the support of the international community to pass this year's national budget, among other things.

But the situation is quite the reverse, the President said.

Noting the international support, he said the Government has secured US$25M for the Rural Electrification Programme, US$40M for development of housing schemes and squatter settlements, US$20M for the construction of a new hospital by the Japanese Government at New Amsterdam in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), US$25M to liberalise telecommunication and bring Internet and telephone services across Guyana, and about US$50M for the construction and rehabilitation of schools and the revision of curricula.

Mr. Jagdeo said large sums have also been received to improve infrastructure, including bridges from Timehri, East Bank Demerara to Rosignol, West Bank Berbice. These funds, he said, are not being added to the country's debt burden.

"The conversation was if they allow all these things to happen and people have social peace, citizens might change their minds around election time. And I know some people who said that if we go against these things our supporters will suffer too because they stand to benefit from many of these facilities across the country, from Ameila's Ward, Linden in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) to Buxton in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) to Ithaca, West Bank Berbice in Region Five (Mahaica/West Berbice) - everywhere; and the response was `do not bother with that, the key thing is political power'."

According to the President, the approach by the PNC/R is to keep people deprived by chasing investment away from the country and by preventing job creation.

"Every time an investor comes into the country you have some act of instability, or (some) deliberately call some people to say if you invest here there is going to be trouble and so young people do not have jobs."

He said this is totally uncalled for as politics in Guyana could be fought at a different level and not one that deliberately causes harm.

"Why not work together to improve the lives of our people so that they can have better education and can find jobs? We do not have to fight politics at this level and it does not have to be based on race or religion or depriving people," the President said.

He called on young people to lead the way and not be influenced by the negativity, especially that which is promoted on television.

"Think for yourself, read up. What was there 10 years ago, has it changed? What kind of skills do I need to have in the future? Do I constantly want to harbour negative things and what image do I want to portray of my country and myself?"

He said the Government has already made an assessment of the dialogue and has decided it has had tremendous success in every area.

He noted that on the Bauxite Committee, the PNC/R representative was involved in the discussions with the Canadian company Cambior, the major shareholder in the Omai gold mining firm.

The Advisory Committee on Broadcasting (ACB) has agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an interim committee, he also noted.

Prime Minister Sam Hinds yesterday announced that the ACB, which was appointed late last year as an interim authority to advise him on matters relating to broadcast content, will be officially commissioned on April 12.

"On the Depressed Communities Committee we have already started work on three of the four depressed communities identified and money has been allocated for work to start in the final one this year.

"In every other committee we have made tremendous progress and even on things that were not part of the initial discussions, including the fact that over 55 members of the main Opposition party are represented on State Boards", Mr. Jagdeo noted.

On the issue of the Parliamentary Committees, which was also part of the dialogue process, the President said the Government was willing to rotate the chairmanship.

"We are arguing that what happens in the U.S., UK, Canada, where the parties that have the majority in the National Assembly chair the committee, we are saying that should also follow in Guyana," he said.

He said that, following the deadlock between the parties' representatives, Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud (PPP/C) and Mr. Lance Carberry (PNC/R), he suggested to the PNC/R leader that they should discuss the issue.

"Mr. Hoyte said this will be done when I returned from my Australia trip."

"However, upon my return, Mr. Hoyte indicated that there will be a pause in the dialogue as decided by the Central Executive of the PNC/R and he is bound by this decision.

"I replied stating my view on the success of the dialogue process, but the PNC/R has maintained the pause on the process", the President said. (GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AGENCY)