The Guyana Bar Association (GBA) says it will continue to play an active role in the Social Partners grouping which also includes the Private Sector Commission and the Guyana Trades Union Congress.
Newly-elected president of the GBA, Khemraj Ramjattan said that while a major task of the grouping was a resumption of the political dialogue and the return of the PNCR to the National Assembly, there were still other useful initiatives that the Social Partners could undertake to address the many problems of society.
One of those initiatives could be a tracking poll of public opinion on developments coming from the talks between President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNCR leader, Robert Corbin.
Private Sector Commission Chairman, Dr Peter deGroot, who chairs the Social Part-ners, told Stabroek News that the grouping had to meet to discuss recent developments.
Observers believe that with the talks between the two major political parties back on track there is now no place for the consultations among the political parties that the partners were trying to promote. The first session of the consultations took place on September 11 but the Partners have so far been unable to mount a follow-up session at which they would have explained their concept of inclusive governance and to initiate a discussion between the parties.
In the lead-up to the second consultations that should have taken place earlier this year the PPP/C issued its position paper on inclusive governance and the PNCR its concept of shared governance.
The Social Partners’ initiative was initially trying to promote the resumption of talks between Jagdeo and then PNCR leader Desmond Hoyte, which they felt were vital. But they also wanted to promote the creation of an environment for the implementation of Article 13 of the Consti-tution.
Article 13 calls for the establishment of an inclusive democracy “by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their well-being.”