The Government, and Government alone has created the impending constitutional crisis

Mar 10, 2019 Letters

Dear Editor,

The PNC Plenary racing towards illegal status in twelve days, is a problem created by the PNC and PNC alone. Once the government was defeated on December 21, it became a PNC problem for Cabinet to resign and for the President to call fast track, emergency elections in 90 days, in this special circumstance. The current impasse is a PNC problem, not a PPP problem. It is the PNC that is using maximum delaying tactics and it is Mr. Granger who said the government isn’t going anywhere. Fast track elections can be held with assistance from Caricom, OAS, Commonwealth, the UN, the Carter Center and other NGOs. GECOM can bring in Surujbally and Vishnu Persaud to help out. Where there is a will, there is a way. Later, we can investigate if GECOM staff had been twiddling their thumbs in between elections and why they have not been cleaning and updating lists all along. What happened to the investigations of buying outdated radios and expensive clippers?
Mr. Granger cannot think he would meet with the Opposition Leader two weeks before the government becomes illegitimate, and magically hope or expect that the PPP would bail them out by voting for unlimited extension. Mr. Jagdeo met with Mr. Granger before and instead of getting on the fast track towards elections, they are filing frivolous appeals repeating that 33 is not greater than 32, and have done nothing to make sure election preparations are in high gear.
After its defeat, the PNC top leaders said they would respect the Constitution, and the Deputy Chief Elections Officer said GECOM would be ready to deliver new elections. Then they changed their tune and move towards maximum obstructionism to early elections. For a government that has great disdain for clean, proper election lists in the riggeritis days of PNC rigging, when dead people, donkeys, and horses were on the overseas voters’ lists, suddenly, the PNC is feigning interest in pure lists, as it wants to hold on to the good life as long as it could.
We are disappointed that Mr. Jagdeo met with Granger a second time knowing that Granger had no intention to follow the mandates of the Constitution. But it shows the willingness of the PPP side to be reasonable. Granger, however, has no intention to meet constitutional timelines. Remember that it was Mr. Jagdeo who, like a puppy dog, humbly submitted 3 lists for the GECOM Chairman and the all-powerful Granger rejected them all, refusing to follow the Carter formula. The current situation reveals why it was important to Mr. Granger to have his puppet in the Chair’s position, why former deputy Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud, was not reappointed, and why there is lack of diversity in GECOM staffing.
We are pleased that the PPP has started to alert the international community of an impending constitutional crisis. Granger and Harmon must be in serious denial to keep saying that we are not in the twilight of a constitutional crisis. I trust Mr. Jagdeo will not embarrass himself by going to another one of Granger’s gimmick meetings. This is the first time the PNC has any legitimacy as a government, and it’s back again to becoming an illegal regime as March 21 creeps up on us. The PPP is to be commended for its patience, and willingness to meet with Granger twice, although the meetings did not produce any good faith effort on Granger’s part.

Jerry Singh

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