The consultations arranged by the Social Partners with the parliamentary parties originally planned for Monday have to be rescheduled for later in the week.
Stabroek News understands that the PNCR has indicated that while it is willing to attend, the scheduled time makes it difficult for its representatives to be present. Stabroek News understands that Yohance Douglas, the University of Guyana student killed by police last Saturday is related to a member of the PNCR leadership who would be attending the funeral.
The Working People’s Alliance also asked for the meeting to be rescheduled as it needed more time to study the proposals for the Social Partners’ secretariat which it was seeing for the first time as well as the papers on governance circulated by the PNCR and the PPP/C.
The Social Partners are convening the consultations to resume the discussions, adjourned from September 11, on its initiative to operationalise Article 13 of the constitution. Article 13 provides for the State to make it possible for citizens to participate in the management and decision-making processes of the State, especially in those issues that would directly affect their well-being.
The September 11 meeting was adjourned to allow the Social Partners to expand on their proposal for a structured, ongoing and permanent mechanism on inclusive governance.
The proposed secretariat is the mechanism they are recommending and they have been given indications of support by the donor community as well as indications of interest from local experts on being part of the secretariat.