President Jagdeo never fails to shock you

Apr 21, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

I read some statements that came from President Jagdeo as responses to questions from the regional and international media in Trinidad, and indeed when you look at the democracy, justice and freedom, the President’s emanations were shocking, shocking indeed.
Flowing freely on the topic of democracy, the President said. “Overall I think we (Guyana) have one of the most progressive constitutions in the Commonwealth and in the world.” This is just unbelievable coming from a President that is happy to make Guyana stand out as an eye sore as having one radio station only, which is owned by the state.
I have always argued that Mr. Jagdeo will go out of power and have the negative record of being the only President/Prime Minister that never engaged in an open, live debate with his opposition counterparts and his intellectual critics. The reason is clear as a hot, sunny day where it is so bright that you can see forever. President Jagan cannot defend his poor record on freedoms in Guyana. I hope that one of Mr. Jagdeo’s PR men could respond to the fundamental contradiction that Mr. Jagdeo walked right into when he spoke to the press on Guyana’s Constitution.
I will come to that below, but first here are some more remarks on the Guyana Constitution. “A lot of the features of our constitution are designed to give people greater, not just declarative rights, but rights that can be enforced.”
Mr. Jagdeo has some explaining to do and one desperately hopes the local media engages in this political knot from which I believe he cannot extricate himself. If a country has one of the best constitutions in the world and if that constitution offers genuine, enforceable rights not just declarative or symbolic freedoms, then how do you explain that the government of that democratic country with that admirable constitution absolutely refuses the citizenry to have access to more than one radio station and that single entity is owned by the state.
I am contending that no genius that Mr. Jagdeo brings can free him from that entanglement. It is a contradiction that is insoluble. To say that your constitution is one of the best in the world in terms of the enforceable freedoms that it gives to the citizenry but you deliberately restrict the citizenry’s access to the flow of information by denying a choice of radio station is nothing but pure political deception.
But wait! There are more shocking pronouncements from the President. As I quote him again, keep in focus a particular word of the President, “BUILD.” Let’s quote Mr. Jagdeo for the third time. Speaking on the democratic nature of Guyana’s Constitution, he went on to tell the reporters; “I will defend that record and we need to build on this.”
Build on what? Readers must understand by the use of the word, “build”, he means adding more freedoms on what the Constitution already embodies. Again the question must be asked of Mr. Jagdeo: “If you want to enhance constitutional freedoms then why are you stopping the establishment of more than one radio station?”
I am putting my Kaieteur News column on the line here. If President Jagdeo at the press conference he will hold on the Summit of the Americas when he returns, can solve this contradiction by describing how the preservation of the radio monopoly is not an assault on constitutional freedoms, then, I will immediately resign from this page. Of course he isn’t going to do that. He cannot do that. But what he will do is perhaps refer to Freddie Kissoon in derogatory terms. How about this one; “I don’t have time to respond to that fool.”
There is more shock to come. Here is more outpouring from the President on the wonderful Guyana Constitution that Mr. Jagdeo asserts is one of the best in the world; “We have set up six constitutional Commissions. Unfortunately, we haven’t had them implemented as yet, but five of them are Right Commissions.” Conveniently, Mr. Jagdeo left out the time frame. The reporters (except those from Guyana) would not have known that these six Commissions have been languishing inside the womb of the Constitution for more than eight years now. They weren’t even stillborn. They are yet to be born. And Mr. Jagdeo has only two more years in office.
Now read this one. Mr. Jagdeo told the reporters the six Commissions have the powers of sanction over the President. Mr. Jagdeo is a funny guy indeed. He just let the cat out the bag without knowing it. He subconsciously gave the reason why the Commissions aren’t born as yet.

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President Jagdeo never fails to shock you

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