Aug 25, 2026
2 min read
VPAC Leader Dorwain Bess has taken a swipe at Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and WIN Leader Azruddin Mohamed for their failure to agree on a joint statement 24 hours after their one-hour meeting on Monday.
Bess in a Facebook post said after a year of disagreement, the bare minimum expectation was that the two major Opposition parties would sit down, hammer out their differences and begin delivering results.
"Instead, we got another process for discussing the process," he said.
He reminded Guyanese that every member of the delegations is paid from the public purse and was elected to work on their behalf, adding that Guyanese did not elect them to spend an hour discussing whether they can work together.
"They elected them to actually work together where the national interest demands it," Bess said.
He questioned how Guyanese are expected to believe the two parties are ready for meaningful Opposition cooperation, shared governance or the difficult negotiations required to move the country forward, when they cannot agree on something as basic as a joint statement.
Bess underscored that both Mohamed and Norton have a responsibility to demonstrate that political differences can be overcome through serious negotiation, compromise and action, not political posturing and endless consultations.
He said Guyanese were instead told to await further consultations, a framework and possibly a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on how the parties will work together.
"We can and must do better and VPAC will continue to demand it from our elected leaders. Guyanese deserve nothing less," Bess said.
APNU and WIN met on Monday, with the nomination of Opposition members to the Local Government Commission expected to be a key issue on the agenda. That matter was not discussed.
Instead, the two sides agreed in principle to a framework for future talks. Norton said it will set out clear principles for the discussions and is expected to lead to an MOU between the parties.
Mohamed confirmed the substantive issue was not addressed, and said both sides will now consult their respective teams before deciding how to move forward.
