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NO ONE SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW
Jun 15, 2015 Editorial
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s late but dramatic appearance in Court on Monday May 25, 2015 may have thrown his political career into freefall with no certainty about precisely where it will eventually settle.
His moment of reckoning had arrived with political consequences yet to be counted. His absence from the PPP Independence celebrations at Port Mourant on the following day could have resulted from such consequences.
It is a positive sign for justice in Guyana; thanks to the young and vivacious Magistrate, Charlyn Artiga. Jagdeo and several other leaders known as the untouchables have always toyed with the justice system.This particular case however, shows that no one should be above the law and those who are charged should appear before the Courts.
It is clear that when Mr. Jagdeo was in power, most of the institutions, including the judiciary, were infected by his style of politics.
Not only did he race to the Magistrate’s Court at Whim after the threat of a warrant for his arrest, but he was also barred from leaving the country without the permission of the court. In his time as President of Guyana from 1999 to 2011, Mr. Jagdeo wielded enormous power and, for a while, seemed almost invincible or as some will say, superior to everyone.
It should be pointed out that the Constitution of Guyana grants immunity to Presidents for acts committed only while in office. The former President now a private citizen was summoned to court on a private charge brought by lawyer and Chartered Accountant Chris Ram. The charge stemmed from Jagdeo’s comments on Sunday March 8 at Babu Jaan. And even though his lawyers pleaded with the Magistrate to dismiss the case, the young Magistrate stood her ground and ordered a summary trial on June 22.
Mr. Jagdeo as a private citizen continued to believe that he was above the law and did not attend Court when the case was first called a few weeks ago. His flirting with the laws of the country came to an abrupt end on May 25, 2015 as he has now been caught in the dragnet of the justice system.
With an indictable criminal offence to his name, he faces an arduous battle with the legal system which if convicted could result in two years in imprison and fined $100,000. But like all other cases, there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The fact that allegations of such criminal offence is being made in connection with a citizen who had held the esteemed office of President for 12 years merely compounds the disgrace. In the Court proceedings, the former President was devastated when he was ordered into the prisoners dock by the Magistrate who read the criminal charge to a very silent Jagdeo.
As a senior leader of a putative political force in the country, Mr. Jagdeo’s standing has suffered a moral downturn in the eyes of the public. In separating truth from fantasy, the reality is Bharrat Jagdeo’s political star has been on the wane since his poor performance in the 2011 general election and has deteriorated further in the 2015 election.
The threat that he had seemed to pose to the David Granger led-APNU+AFC Coalition government following its victory at the polls on May 11, had subsided with several senior PPP figures deserting him.
Whether the party’s current leadership will be able to rally around him in the wake of the court developments will depend on whether they have the strength to survive his legal misfortunes. If they do not, the party’s rank-and-file and perhaps some of its leaders are likely to scatter and head to other political domains.
A more intriguing but challenging scenario is that the PPP could find new leadership and re-invent itself without Mr. Jagdeo. But given the extent to which the party has been dependent on his leadership skills and otherwise, the odds may not favour this.
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