GNCPP advocates pre-election referendum on Constitutional and Electoral Reform

Oct 19, 2014 News

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The Guyana National Council on Public Policy (GNCPP) has called on Guyanese to decide on the country’s political direction by way of referendum. This call comes in light of the expected no-confidence motion to be addressed in Parliament.

GNCPP’s Founder and Chairman, Dr. Phillip Mozart Thomas explained that the agency’s philosophy and programme of public policy formulation recognizes that the general population is not being educated comprehensively by all sides of the political system since, “the state of inter-play seems to suit those elected and those yearning to play the dubious role of representatives whilst ensuring that their agenda are fulfilled.”
“The Political System, in which Guyanese have traditionally reposed confidence and responsibility for managing the country’s resources, has failed them miserably and continuously.  It is either that elected leaders, over generations, lacked the capacity and political will to eschew partisan governance and selfish, corrupt practices, or they had and have, co-opted themselves into systems that benefit only themselves and their loyal groups, whilst our democratic institutions crumble.”
The GNCPP says that the time is now, “because if we as a people fail to stand-up now in our Constitutional Article 13 fiduciary duty, there is no amount of money or words that can repair the catastrophic and detrimental harm that this generation and the next generation will suffer”.
The GNCPP is currently planning a December 2014 Summit of Guyana’s NGO-Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to elect Guyana  National Civil Society Council (GNCSC) to organize itself to truly empower Guyanese in keeping with the inclusionary-democracy provisions of Article 13 of the Constitution.
The body contends that before any general or local government elections are held, “a new mandate in the form of Constitution Reform and Elections Reform must be derived directly from the people through a process of a ‘National Referendum.’”
“Since sovereignty belongs to the people, they should demand and have constitutional reforms, for example, which are completely legal and in keeping with the procedures as outlined in the very Constitution which currently exits,” Dr Thomas charged.
He explained that persons should desist from describing the Constitution as “the Burnham Constitution” since there have been numerous deletions and amendments since 1980, “with many of them enacted illegally.”
Also, the present arrangements and composition of the Elections Commissions must be changed to adhere to the Constitutional requirement of “no interference and inter-meddling by the Political System” and that the present arrangement whereby the two major political parties hold three seats each, was only supposed to be an interim accommodation by virtue of the Saint Lucia Statement and Herdmanston Accord.
“In this regard, Guyanese will never realize a legally constitutional free and fair election until the national elections’ apparatus is devoid of this present arrangement.”
The GNCPP further contends that when groups, parties and individuals call on the Local Government Minister or President to set a date for Local Government Elections, “most of them know very well that these functionaries do not have or are vested with the constitutional authority or prerogative, in addition to the political will and capacity, to call or enact a process for the Local Government Elections to take place.”
Dr. Thomas charged that the 1980 Constitution calls for and mandates for a Local Government Commission to be set-up to oversee the functions and working of the Local Government system.
The authority vested unto the Local Government Commission only is the “Prerogative” for Local Government Election.  Constitutionally, no other person, authority or agency can act on this Prerogative, but the Local Government Commission (LGC).
The GNCPP says it is aware of the tactics of the political system in delaying the establishment and operationalization of the Local Government Commission (LGC) which must precede any Local Government Elections, as polls held otherwise can easily be subjected to judicial overturn.
“If we are to examine the process and pre-judge the outcome of the impending “No Confidence Motion” one can readily conclude that it will fall prey to the same common course of gaming and barratrous conduct we have all witnessed in the recent past that happened to any and all such Parliamentary Proceedings which should have only be dealt with by the Parliamentary process and without any court intervention,” Dr. Thomas said.
“Guyanese are constitutionally entitled to the correct legal processes of national governance and management,” he insists.
“And since those elected to represent the people’s causes have failed to demonstrate both the capacity and political will to do so in a manner which is meant to provide a sustained decent standard of life, then the people should, most directly stand up and uphold their Constitutional Article 13 Fiduciary duties, responsibilities and obligations by dedicating a new mandate by way of a National Referendum.”
This involves that the electorate tells the legislative, executive, even the judiciary branches of the Government exactly what measures and reforms are immediately needed.
The GNCPP shares the view that any election in Guyana at this time without the people’s preference for Constitutional and Electoral Reforms, will result in “more-of-the-same,” attitudes regardless of who become the new temporary winners.
The GNCPP stands ready to elaborate on its policy of “Reforms-through-Referendum” and will do so even as it prepares itself to launch Guyana’s first-ever National Civil Society Summit. To date, the GNCPP has met with, and conducted briefings with over 400 Civil Society Organizations.

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