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An abuse of power

Nov 13, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
Please allow me to express my dismay at the actions of a Judge of the High Court, as reported in the Kaieteur newspaper of 12th November 2015 under the Heading “Judge hauls drivers before court for honking”.
The article ascribes the following action to the judge “Two male drivers initially opted to deny that they were in default of adhering to the signs but they were told by the Judge that they could be fined a total of $250,000 if they were found guilty by the court.”
I view this behaviour as totally unacceptable; it is the forcing of a guilty plea by duress and undue force. The accused were not afforded the opportunity to seek the services of a lawyer. We cannot allow this act to pass unnoticed for I fear it may be the thin edge of the wedge.
The entire episode reeks of a power drunkenness that needs to be checked immediately, from the summoning of three officers to do his bidding, the “hauling” before the High Court instead of the Magistrate’s Traffic Court, the charge of “Contempt of Court” and the coercion of guilty pleas from the accused.
As a layman I do have to pose the following questions: Which section of the Laws of Guyana gives a judge the power to have persons arrested and tried in the high court for traffic offences? And was the judge acting outside of his powers? No doubt you have learned members of the profession among your readers who may care to respond.
It is already difficult for the poor to access justice in this country but to allow citizens to be bullied into guilty pleas in open courtroom sets a most unwanted precedent, I hope that by calling your attention to it we may in turn force action from the Chancellor of the Judiciary , the people’s protector from abuse from his judges.
Those with power would do well to remember that we the people have the ultimate power, One sat in her Ivory Tower and said of the starving masses below “let them eat cake” and indeed they did, pity she lost her head in the process. I will be following this matter closely.
Robin Singh

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