GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Less than a month after she and her opposition colleagues walked out of the National Assembly, accusing Guyana's government of excluding them from the Venezuela border motion, Geeta Chandan-Edmond is backing President Irfaan Ali for another term as head of state.
Opposition legislator, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, speaking in Parliament on Monday night (CMC Photo)“Let the record reflect tonight: I stand proudly with President Irfaan Ali. I stand with his leadership, I stand with his vision and I stand with his steadfast commitment to this country and I say to everyone of you in this House and out of this House that President Ali has earned a second term and Guyana deserves nothing less,” Chandan-Edmond told legislators on Monday as Parliament debated the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Bill.
The general and regional elections will be held here on September 1 this year and the
The legislator with the opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) said under Ali’s leadership Guyana is developing at a rapid pace.
“We are witnessing real change, investment in people, bold infrastructure, social upliftment and a renewed sense of national pride and so I fully and unapologetically endorse President Irfaan Ali for a second term because the work is not done; the transformation is still underway,” she added.
The opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones, had sought to get House Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, to prevent Chandan-Edmond from speaking, insisting that she was not down to speak.
But Nadir said “the Standing Order says the Speaker can go by a list or if he catches the eye of the person. She indicated to me she would like to speak. I invite her to speak, thank you.” Before stating her support for the President, she remarked that “there was an attempt to silence me”.
Chandan-Edmond told legislators that she wanted to apologize and regretted “sincerely” joining with her colleagues in walking out of a debate on a motion against Venezuela’s continued acts of aggression late last month.
“What did the opposition do? I was part of it. We chose silence, we walked out. We chose politics over patriotism. It was not only disappointing, it was also disgraceful. It was in every sense a betrayal of our sacred duty.
“While President Ali was defending our sovereignty, rallying international support and standing tall for our Guyanese, the opposition faltered,” she added.
The opposition legislator also praised Ali for resisting the closure of the sugar estates during the then APNU+AFC administration, behind closed doors and away from the cameras.
Her announcement f support for the incumbent head of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) follows the decision by several PNCR supporters to have endorsed Ali for a second term.
Chandan-Edmond, a member of the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), had earlier this year praised the 2025 National Budget during her contribution to the debate.
Last Friday, the APNU announced that it had entered into a coalition with the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) ahead of the general and regional election.
The APNU was officially launched in 2011 and included then the AFC, but the party announced in April that it would be contesting the elections without being part of the APNU
