AFC, GAP/ROAR playing it straight

February 19, 2008

Dr. Roger F. Luncheon, MD

Head of the Presidential Secretariat

Office of the President,

New Garden Street,

Georgetown.

Dear Dr. Luncheon,

We refer to your letter of February 18, 2008 inviting us to attend or send a representative at a meeting of national stakeholders to address the deteriorating security situation.

We welcome the opportunity to participate in a genuine attempt at finding solutions. However we wish to state that we believe that this meeting is overdue and recognize that His Excellency is now responding to calls made by us in our letter of February 4, 2008, for such discussions to commence.

We are however of the opinion that this important meeting should be the genesis of serious engagement to address critical issues which in our considered opinion are:

1) The formulation of a national security strategy and revised security plan;

2) The request for assistance from foreign governments; and international agencies such as the United Nations; and

3) 3) A holding of a national stake-holders conference to find consensus on, and to give meaningful effect to, Article 13 of the Constitution which implores us to establish an inclusionary democracy in Guyana.

In this context we also believe that there has to be an enabling environment which should be supported by all political stakeholders and must include the reduction of the divisive rhetoric, as a step towards confidence building.

Sincerely,
MP Raphael Trotman, AFC

MP Everall Franklin, Alliance For Change Guyana Action Party