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AG fails to advise President Jagdeo, creates constitutional crisis
Minister of Public Service Dr Jennifer Westford taking the oath of office
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Charles Ramson, apparently failed to properly advise President Bharrat Jagdeo and created a constitutional crisis yesterday.
President Jagdeo, before he left for Barbados to attend the funeral of the late Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson, swore in Public Service Minister Dr Jennifer Westford to perform the duties of President. Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, performing the duties of Prime Minister, was sworn in by Minister Westford.
However, Dr Ashni Singh is not an elected member of the National Assembly and his appointment has created a constitutional crisis.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds is on leave. Had he been on the job he would have been appointed to perform the duties of President and another elected Member of Parliament would have performed the duties of Prime Minister. But more often than not, there would have been no need to appoint someone to perform the duties of Prime Minister.
Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon announced the appointments of Minister Westford and Minister Singh yesterday when he met with the press for the weekly Cabinet briefing. No member of the media raised the issue of Dr Singh’s appointment.
At the forum, too, members of the media noted that up until now, barring the Prime Minister, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee performed the duties of President.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh taking the oath of office
Dr Luncheon said that such appointments are the prerogative of the president and it was his decision to appoint the individual who would perform the duties of president. In this case he appointed Minister Westford.
The appointment of Dr Singh would have passed unnoticed had it not been for the fact that he would have had to serve as Leader of the House in the absence of Prime Minister Hinds, when the National Assembly meets today.
Prime Minister Hinds will not be back from leave until next week.
One legal source said that the solution to the constitutional crisis rests with Minister Westford, who is performing the duties of president, swearing in another Member of Parliament to perform the duties of Prime Minister.
Initially, President Jagdeo was scheduled to fly to Mexico for the meeting on climate change. That forum is the 16th Meeting of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.
When he met with the media last week he announced his attendance. Yesterday, word out of Office of the President was that President Jagdeo would be returning from Barbados today. However, his arrival may be too late to avert the crisis which is at hand.
The Attorney General was not available for comment, but sources said that he is refusing to accept blame for the faux pas.
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