Govt. operating as if it has already won ‘No Confidence’ court case

Govt. operating as if it has already won ‘No Confidence’ court case – Jagdeo

Feb 15, 2019 News

The government of Guyana is carrying on with business as usual, operating as though it has already won the court case challenging the validity of the No Confidence Motion, according to Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo.
He said that Chief Justice Roxane George has already ruled, and that means the government should operate in accordance with her ruling. She had ruled that a majority of those members is 33, and that the no-confidence motion passed in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018, is valid.
Jagdeo opined that the government is reluctant to dissolve the government and cooperate with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to effect preparation mode for elections, because it is operating under the premise that it must wait until the final court rules on the motion.
The government had indicated that it will go as far as the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) if it doesn’t succeed in challenging the validity of the motion at lower courts. Since the Chief Justice ruled that the motion was passed, the government has moved to the Court of Appeal.
The Leader of the Opposition used the analogy that, if someone is convicted on a charge of murder, they may appeal the ruling at a higher court. However, they must still remain in prison while such litigation is ongoing. In the same regard, Jagdeo argued that the government must abide by the ruling by the Chief Justice, by dissolving the government and providing whatever assistance is necessary to GECOM.
“You are in jail now. Until you get released, you have to comply.”
He said that the government’s logic, that it shouldn’t do anything until the final court rules, is “pure nonsense”.
Though the government requested a stay on the motion, the Chief Justice had denied that request as well.
“The Chief Justice ruled that the timeline didn’t stop. You have to observe the No-Confidence Motion, as it was validly passed.”
Jagdeo has accused multiple government officials of intentionally frustrating the March 19 election deadline, set by the Constitution. He said that the crowded landscape of views about whether the motion was passed and about the consequences of the motion, have not succeeded in complicating the issue because the matter has already received a ruling.
The Opposition Leader noted that, if the PPP wins the next General and Regional Election, it will have independent investigations executed to find whatever A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government officials are seeking to hide, by frustrating the election deadline.

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