Latest update March 20th, 2025 5:10 AM
Latest News
- Guyana’s oil growth boosting regional economies– CDB Director of Economics
- Suspected outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Region Four
- Israel launches first ground offensive since Gaza ceasefire collapse
- Sod turned for $665M expansion of St. Stanislaus College
- Pensioner jailed for raping child
President choreographs a new dance with words of the constitution
Dear Editor,
On the matter of president Granger’s acting unilaterally to appoint the chairman of the GECOM I wish to comment as follows: The constitution does provide one condition for the president to act unilaterally. That condition reads like this: “ONLY IF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION (LO) DOES NOT PROVIDE A LIST”.
The president did an interesting dance with those words. He rejected all eighteen names on three submitted lists. Then he says the Leader of the Opposition did not provide an acceptable list. Now the constitution is read this way: DOES NOT PROVIDE A LIST = (becomes) DOES NOT PROVIDE AN ACCEPTABLE LIST. Now the president has the required condition and feels empowered to act unilaterally.
It takes a genius in Constitutional democracy to choreograph such a dance with words in such a pivotal document. This matter regarding the constitutional dance drama went to the High Court of Guyana. There the Chief Justice sought to bring some clarity to what those crucial words in the constitution mean. CJ ruled that presidents in a constitutional democracy do not have the latitude to think and act subjectively – president must provide reasons for the rejection of each of the eighteen names on three lists.
There again in a show of contempt for the CJ, president said: “CJ has her interpretation; I have mine”. He did not feel obligated or constrained by the fact he is president of a constitutional democracy nor by the CJ’s ruling to provide reasons for rejecting each of eighteen names.
After three long months of delay (lots of time to deliberate and reflect), the president acted on his own interpretation. What was shocking – even revealing – about the president’s mind is that he chose and appointed an 84-year-old man to become chairman of GECOM.
Now the nation watches with bated breath: Would this 84-year-old be in command of all his faculties – would he be easily manipulated – would he survive until the 2020 elections?
Mike Persaud
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
No immigrant should feel safe in America today
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- There was a time when an illegal immigrant in America could live in the shadows with some... more
If Guyana’s President Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean”, who is the Putin?
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS, Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- In the latest... more
Weekend Cartoon
