Political parties and civil society have a critical role to play

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,

On November 20, I met a delegation of the Alliance For Change (AFC) in my office.  This meeting was at my request and follows my earlier letter on the proroguing of Parliament, and subsequent meetings with President Donald Ramotar and Leader of the Opposition David Granger.

The AFC was represented by General Secretary David Patterson, MPs Valerie Lowe-Garrido and Kathy Hughes, and Treasurer Dominic Gaskin.

Representing the Catholic Church were myself and Mssrs Gino Persaud, Lawrence Lachmansingh and Albert Rodrigues.

The AFC outlined the timeline and associated details that led to their tabling of the Motion of No-Confidence, while inquiring as to the future steps that the Church would be taking to assist Guyana through this difficult period.

We discussed the Christian obligation to promote justice and peace in both word and deed, and the specific measures that the Catholic Church would be taking, as outlined in my earlier letter.

Our discussions delved into the challenges that lead to lowered levels of political trust in Guyana and its impact on the people.

We agreed that both political parties and civil society have a critical role to play, through dialogue and respectful engagement, in promoting reconciliation and trust in our beloved nation.

I remain grateful to the AFC and its delegation for taking the time to meet with me and my delegation from the Church.

Bishop Francis Dean Alleyne

Bishop of Georgetown

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