President and Oposition leader to meet on constitutional matters soon

President Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton are expected to meet within two weeks to discuss a number of constitutional matters.

Ali disclosed that Norton should receive an invitation letter for the consultation Thursday. “There are a number of constitutional matters that have to be addressed, so those are the matters that will primarily be on the table,” Ali told reporters Wednesday evening. At the time he was speaking on the sideline of the International Building Expo, at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.

“You know we have to get the Judicial Service Commission in place, so all the constitutional issues that require consultation with the opposition will be on the table,” President Ali stressed. The President noted that the engagement between himself and the opposition leader has been long overdue.

He pointed out that delays of the meeting stemmed from the failure of former opposition leader, Joseph Harmon, to acknowledge the legitimacy of the PPP/C Administration. He said that Harmon’s behaviour had obstructed talks between the two parties, almost 20 months since the administration lawfully took office.

Ali pointed out that despite this, he remained optimistic that the opposition APNU+AFC must explicitly recognise and acknowledge the legitimacy of the government. “The Leader of the Opposition has a choice. Let me be very clear on this, he has choice. Sometimes, we have to decide what is foolhardy and what we really want to achieve. I don’t know what bubble he is in, but I am sure the Leader of the Opposition is aware, like the rest of the world, that he trampled upon democracy,” President Ali had declared.  The Head of State had issued several calls to the opposition leader to do the “right thing” and desist from pushing the false narrative, which he said was circulated on social media and other forums.