Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
Controversy over call for LGE…President Ramotar is a failure; he is sleeping and needs to be awakened – Granger
“The President is sleepwalking into a constitutional crisis which could have catastrophic consequences for our country. The President’s inconsistent statements, unconstitutional conduct and dilatory tactics are creating confusion and consternation.”- Granger
By Abena Rockcliffe
Not only is A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) willing to side with the Alliance For Change (AFC) in expressing
Opposition Leader, David Granger
no confidence in the government, but the coalition has gone so far as to declare President Donald Ramotar a failure who knows not what he is about.
Yesterday, as he hosted APNUs’ weekly press conference, the coalition’s leader, David Granger made no qualms in telling the media that President Ramotar has failed the nation. Neither did Granger find it hard to say that the President is a sleep walker headed towards a constitutional crisis.
The APNU leader told the media that he and his coalition are deeply disturbed by President Ramotar’s decision not to issue instructions to allow the Guyanese people to exercise their right to elect their representatives in Local Government Elections at the earliest possible date.
Granger cited Ramotar’s words to supporters at a town hall meeting in New York, “Well, my mother used to say you can’t have it in cake and have it in bake; you can’t have it both ways, you have to make up your mind what you want.”
The President’s utterance was with regard to the call for Local Government Elections and a No Confidence Motion that could result in the premature holding of General and Regional Elections.
Granger said yesterday that President Ramotar “is the one who needs to make up his mind and do his duty as a national leader.”
The politician said that the President is suggesting, falsely, that there must be a choice between Local Government and General and Regional Elections.
Granger said, “He (Ramotar) is suggesting also that, the motion proposed by the Alliance For Change to express ‘no-confidence’ in the government which could lead to general and regional elections could pose a constitutional dilemma.”
The Opposition leader told media operatives that in doing so, President Ramotar is pretending that there is a contradiction.
President Donald Ramotar
But, “there is none,” said Granger.
Granger, in his attempt to highlight some of the failing points of Ramotar’s one term presidency, said that the President failed the nation by not exercising his executive, constitutional duty to make a timely decision for the conduct of Local Government Elections.
He added that Ramotar failed to instruct his Minister of Local Government and Regional Development to issue the Commencement Order to operationalize the Local Government Commission; he failed to assent to the Local Government (Amendment) Bill and he failed to assent to the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill so that elections could be held by August 1, 2014.
Granger said that it is important for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration to note that the Local Government Bills passed by the National Assembly was a legitimate expression of the will of the majority and should be respected.
He said that Guyanese now face a grave threat to their constitutional liberties and privilege.
The Opposition leader affirmed that the Guyanese nation is entitled to Local Government Elections as well as General and Regional Elections. He said that “President Ramotar alone is the author of the ‘cake-or-bake’ confusion that he is complaining about.”
Granger said that President Ramotar “is sleepwalking into a constitutional crisis which could have catastrophic consequences for our country. The President’s inconsistent statements, unconstitutional conduct and dilatory tactics are creating confusion and consternation… The President must demonstrate leadership. He must address the nation quickly and truthfully to assure the people that he will uphold their constitutional right to Local Government Elections. The people do have the right to both cake and bake.”
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