PM: TT congratulates new Guyana President

THE Prime Minister on Friday said TT joined the rest of Caricom in congratulating newly elected Guyanese President Dr Irfaan Ali.

Dr Rowley said, "TT joined in the Caricom congratulatory note which was issued."

In a statement on Tuesday, Caricom Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque told Ali, “The people of Guyana have entrusted you with their leadership at a most critical juncture in the country’s development.”

Recalling the challenges which happened before Ali’s assumption to office, LaRocque said the patience and composure Ali displayed during this time are qualities which will serve him well as he begins his term of office.

The Guyana elections took place on March 2 and were followed by numerous legal challenges.

Rowley said, "We took part in the search for a resolution and are happy that we can now move forward."

Rowley was part of a group of Caricom leaders who went to Guyana on March 15 to meet with president at the time David Granger and then opposition leader Bharat Jagdeo after concerns were raised about the outcome of Guyana's regional and parliamentary elections.

In April, Rowley said he was "very disappointed and concerned" that a clear winner still has not yet been decided.

Rowley also said the resolution which has been arrived at "brings an end to the worrisome uncertainty which was prevailing in Guyana over these past months since the general elections."

Asked if any formal correspondence hadbeen sent to Ali since he was sworn in as president on August 2, Rowley replied,"In case somebody has not noticed, TT is in the depths of an general election campaign that ends on Monday."