Clement Rohee says the President will find himself in pickle

Jun 07, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
The wheel has turned a full circle and it is back where it actually started.
I refer to the turmoil to identify a Chairman for GECOM. It is to be recalled that the President had identified Mr. Basil Williams as his interlocutor to engage Mr. Anil Nandlall on the matter. Nothing came out of that engagement. Whether that was the whole intent and purpose of the engagement; to filibuster and to make it much ado about nothing is anybody’s guess.
The fact of the matter is that it was a failed enterprise. Nandlall tried but to no avail. On the other hand, it could be that the President, having finally recognized that he was ill advised by his Attorney General decided to take the matter into his own hands. Granted that all of this might be mere speculation and that the secretive military strategists ensconced at their new premises in the compound of State House, would have already advised Mr Granger about the time-lines for holding elections in 2020, then we can safely conclude that the deceptive, calculating machinery of the presidency is hard at work and what is playing out before our very eyes is part and parcel of a grander re-election strategic goal.
In the circumstances, it is expected that high level diplomatic initiatives by the ABC countries, the donor community as well as the Carter Center would have been taken already to alert government about their concerns on this matter. In the meanwhile, the Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition must now await the return of the President from Brussels where he will attend an international meeting from 7-8 June. Granger’s meeting with Mr Jagdeo will take place on June 12 at 18:00hrs at State House.
The meeting seems to be an afterthought by the Presidency since in his letter dated June 6, there is no mention of any meeting in such great detail. There is some speculation that the wording; “there will be litigation and other consequences for which the President will be responsible” in the final paragraph in the press release issued by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition might have triggered the invitation to the June 12, meeting.
President Granger will no doubt seek from Mr. Jagdeo clarification on the meaning of those words at the meeting. A list of names with the backing of thirty three civil society organizations is by no means a list to be dealt with whimsically.
Mr. Granger, being an old hand at intelligence matters must be quite aware of the significance of such a list lying on his desk.
In light of the exchanges from the northern and southern sides of the GCC ground both sides seem to be spoiling for a fight. But both sides also recognize that in respect to the settlement of a Chairman for GECOM it cannot be a take it or leave it situation.
Believing he holds the trump card, when in fact it is a petard in his hand Mr Granger must’ve realized how precariously poised the situation is.
The President faces the real possibility of 33 civil society bodies rising up to challenge him along with the ABC countries and the donor community. In the case of the former, it would deal a devastating blow to all the talk of social cohesion. Thus, the choice by compulsion to proceed on a pathway of reasoning and compromise.
From all indications, Mr. Granger, having publicly rejected all the names suggested thus far, cannot go back to any of those names. He therefore has names of his own choice and wants to cut a deal with Mr. Jagdeo on the Chairmanship of GECOM. If the name/s Mr. Granger has was never considered by the thirty three organizations including the PPP/C it would mean two things;
1) Mr. Jagdeo going back to consult with the stakeholders;
2) Declaring the President’s move unconstitutional;
3) dragging out the process further;
4) seeking a resolution through the court
5) seeking the intervention of the Carter Center and the diplomatic community to resolve the matter.
6) realizing the threat that” there will be other consequences “ if the matter is not settled in accordance with provisions of the Constitution.
In any of the aforementioned scenarios, President Granger will certainly find himself in pickle.
Clement J. Rohee

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