We await the CCJ ruling

Apr 20, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
As we await the Caribbean Court of Justice ruling on the Cedric Richardson’s case, it is an opportune moment to remind Guyanese why the presidential terms were limited. On 30th April, 1999, the Private Sector Commission made a written submission to the Constitution Reform Commission.
In that submission under the subheading Articles 92, 93, 94, 178 and 179: Tenure and Removal of the President, the PSC had this to say,
“As said above, once a person assumes the office of President, he may inevitably have a lifelong tenure of office if he is continuously elected according to the provisions of the constitution, or if he does not die, or resign or become mentally or physically incapacitated.
Considering that the President is elected every five years, there is the possibility that there could be a new president every five years. However, this has not been the case having examined electoral results for the past thirty-three years. The damage likely to occur where one person continues to be the President for a lifetime has been a reality for the Guyanese nation.
The people have suffered the consequences of policies and principles that did not change in the constantly evolving world. It is therefore recommended that a person elected to the office of President should not hold the said office for more than two terms of five years.
The Constitution was changed to accommodate this recommendation that a President must not serve for more than two terms. After this provision was implemented, we would have seen Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar demitting office. However, with this court challenge, if successful, it would once again create the condition for a lifelong President. Can this country afford a David Granger or Bharrat Jagdeo for life?
Let us hope that the Caribbean Court of Justice will save us from this impending apocalypse. It is time the Private Sector Commission and other civil society organisations become active to protect the population from these political excesses.
Yours Sincerely,
Thomas Singh

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