The people are being bullied and held hostage by an administration bent on keeping this nation divided

Oct 21, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The framework of the Guyana Constitution is premised on the notion that man is a reasonable being and will act towards each other for their common good. The intensified unreasonable and irrational utterings of the PPP is a reflection of their contempt for man’s innate desire for peace to go about their daily lives and achieve their goals, which in today’s world is premised on justice/rights and the rule of law. What is passing here for governance is barbarity and bullyism, and we must not tolerate it.
Roger Luncheon’s recent rants to render the opposition one-seat majority useless, propaganda on the role and duty of the National Assembly, the President and Speaker bear growing testimony of a man who has never been held accountable for his conduct and therefore feels he can step on the gas of deceit. Kaieteur News (August 7, 2012 “I will not be bullied by the ruling party – Speaker Trotman”) records the PPP’s position of stating that the country has a hierarchy which places at the helm, “‘The Executive/Presidency’ with the National Assembly and the Judiciary following respectively.” All of these notions are misplaced and fly in the face of the Constitution.
Article 50 of the Constitution ‘SUPREME ORGANS OF DEMOCRATIC POWER’ expressly states, “The supreme organs of democratic power in Guyana shall be- (i) the Parliament; (ii) the President; and (iii) the Cabinet.” Clearly, the executive/presidency has no authority over the National Assembly that the Judiciary. They are separate and distinct branches, designed to work with each other, with the judiciary interpreting the law and the executive governing consistent with the Constitution and the attendant laws, which are made by the National Assembly and assented to by the President. This is the principal structure of government for those who adapted the western model of democracy.
For instance, in Guyana and the USA, the presidents assent to bills by virtue of being Head of State. In Canada and Jamaica, countries that subscribe to the monarchy, the Governor General, acting on the Queen’s behalf assents to Bills. Throughout the western system there is variation but the point is made to show that even in variation the role of the legislature is lawmaking with this being assented to by a another authority outside of the legislature, in respect for the system of check and balance to ensure the Constitution is upheld, the people’s legitimate desires are ensured and there is collaboration among the various groups, which are clearly in contradiction to what the PPP is attempting to ram down our throats.
In fact, the power resides with the people and since Article 51 expressly says, “There shall be a Parliament of Guyana, which shall consist of the President and the National Assembly,” the Constitution is designed for us to work together for the common good. Ours is a parliamentary democracy and the day-to-day roles of the president in the Parliament, which is different from the National Assembly that is responsible for law making, are: 1) a ‘member’ by virtue of association and representation; 2) addresses the parliament, 3) sends messages to the National Assembly, 4) cabinet represents his interests by virtue of being Members of Parliament, 5) summons, propagates and dissolves parliament, and 6) assents to bills and where he fails to do so “he shall return it to the Speaker within twenty-one days of the date when it was presented to him for assent with a message stating the reasons why he has withheld his consent.” See articles 51, 52, 67, 70 and 170.
Further, consistent with articles 89 and 99 of the Constitution, “There shall be a President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, who shall be Head of State, the supreme executive authority, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Republic” and “The executive authority of Guyana shall be vested in the president and, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, may be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him.” The president and/or executive has/have no authority over the National Assembly which is chaired/presided over by the Speaker who has the responsibility to give premier leadership consistent with Article 165. Additionally, “any member of the Assembly may introduce any Bill or propose any motion for debate in, or may present any petition to, the Assembly, and the same shall be debated and disposed of according to the rules of procedure of the Assembly” (Article 171).
The Constitution, explicitly or implicitly, grants the president or his subordinate, no authority/immunity to hold this nation hostage or abrogate his responsibility under said instrument. This is a society established to be governed by laws and must be ensured.
Thus the task rests with the people to ensure the laws are upheld. And the power to so do is vested in the Constitution to execute on a day-to-day basis as guaranteed in the right to freedom of expression, assembly, association and demonstration, and through the parliamentary representatives (articles 147 and 51). Giving true meaning to these principles require a more vocal civil society, including the religious community which is seen as a nation’s moral compass, a vigilant media which includes exposure and ensuring accountability by those who manage the nation’s affairs and do business with and on behalf of the people, a trade union community that understands its role also include ensuring rights and the rule of law are upheld not only in the workplace but in the wider society because the workers’ wellbeing does not start and end at the workplace but must be equally ensured for them and their loved ones outside of their workplaces, and the legitimate business community appreciating the importance of the laws to their success and the consumers purchasing power.
We are all involved and will all be consumed if concerted efforts are not made to halt the intensified maddening and lawless behaviour of the PPP. If the PPP is allowed to get away without being held accountable by each and every one of us this society will not progress. The people are being bullied and held hostage by an administration bent on keeping this nation divided and pitting groups against each other in order to plunder the nation’s resources, rob the people what’s rightly theirs and hinder their development to the misplaced benefit of a few. We must act in one accord, consistent with the Constitution, to move this country forward.
Lincoln Lewis

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