Has President Ramotar got legitimate expectations?

May 14, 2013 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Saturday evening I was in a hilarious mood in the Kaieteur News office and the source of my humour was President Ramotar’s explanation to the country why he will not sign the Bill that limits some of the benefits that former President Jagdeo literally gave himself when he demitted office. Ramotar said the Bill was a denial of a legitimate expectation.
We cannot comprehend the world, life and the actions of people around us if we don’t understand context. It seems our President does not comprehend action within the ambit of context.
So let’s explain context. The piece of legislation that the opposition amended was obnoxious because it awarded immense tangible things to Mr. Jagdeo without specific limitations. He could access how many household and clerical attendants he wants.
It is this the legitimate expectation of a President who leaves office? Is it the legitimate expectation of a President that when his tenure is up, the State can pay for any amount of employees he wants to have? Well we know this was the way Jagdeo thought that is why he awarded himself the limitless goodies.
But for the new President to declare his belief in such an absurdity disqualifies him from holding high office. In which period of history, a leader retires and he expects that his post-retirement package would contain resources that have no caps?
So Saturday evening at the KN offices I went through the list beginning with Dale Andrews. I asked him when he accepted the job as a reporter what were his legitimate expectations. Did it involve a SUV, holidays abroad, half a million dollars in monthly salary? Next I went to Michael Jordan who didn’t answer.
Mike Baptiste replied that he would like to see more money in his pocket. Adam Harris didn’t respond. But we were all laughing because the legitimate explanation thing by Ramotar is not only asinine but totally unacceptable.
During the hilarity, no one asked me what my legitimate expectations are. I would have started by saying that in the middle of the school year, with no complaints whatsoever by the University’s academic community, and with five months more to go on its life, my logical, natural, legitimate expectation was that my contract would have run its course. Without being informed or given a hearing, my UG contract was terminated.
Now I would give anything in the world to read the thinking of Ramotar if he is asked if I had a legitimate expectation.
Let us look at the legitimate expectations of other citizens. Genevieve Whyte-Nedd thought that after acting for so long as Chief Education Officer, she would have been confirmed. She retired without that status thus receiving far less pension benefits. No further comment on this since the matter is before the courts.
The Stabroek News,  Kaieteur News and Mr. Enrico Woolford would have naturally thought they would be the first, not among the first, but the first  to qualify for radio licence on the commonsensical note that they meet all the requirements.
Somebody ain’t jamming right and hitting all the wrong notes since Hits and Jams got a radio licence before Mr. Woolford, KN and SN
Perhaps the largest expression of legitimate expectation occurred in Berbice when it was announced that there will be a bridge over the river. I heard (though I believe it was a rumour) that Berbicians brought out tassa drums, played Soca music and eat duck curry for two days and two nights. Then came the rude awakening. The bridge was so ugly that King Kong refuse to roar on it and the cost to travel across it was ten times what you would pay to get into the ferry.
During the budget debate last month, the Government announced that it cannot reduce the toll because a private company owns the construction. By some weird logic a mini-bus owner is not a private person. Whenever mini-bus operators decide to increase their fares, the Government steps in and literally bullies them against the increase. In some cases, the mini-bus owners were threatened.
Let’s return to context. Mr. Ramotar in claiming legitimate expectation for Mr. Jagdeo’s retirement benefits, was also looking at the concept of legitimate expectation in an unseen context that political observers and opposition politicians have not picked up. Bharrat Jagdeo has a legitimate expectation that the person he gave the Presidency to would protect and safeguard the interest of his benefactor.
I think any benefactor would have a legitimate expectation that his beneficiary would always remain grateful. But what is the legitimate expectation of the beneficiary? Has he got any?

 

 

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