Praying and hoping for a better Guyana

Aug 04, 2019 Letters

Dear Editor,

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them…William Shakespeare. And so it is with Guyana’s President David Granger, a man who idolises former President Forbes Burnham and by doing so he has turned his house into a Burnham museum. To be candid, Mr. Granger never expected to become Guyana’s President so the crown thrust upon his head is causing him immeasurable migraines. Following the death of President Hoyte and the ‘resignation’ of the PNCR leader Mr. Robert Corbin, the PNC was in dire need of a leader who could defeat the PPP and President Granger did. Some believed that this is also true of the PPP, which entrusted its leadership to Mr. Bharat Jagdeo, thanks to Mrs. Janet Jagan. But Jagdeo was ill-prepared to lead the party. The same can be said of Mr. Donald Ramotar who was catapulted into the leadership by Jagdeo. Many believed that these three leaders never had any leadership skills and that is why the country is still faced with so many problems.
On Wednesday, 25th July, 2019, the Head of State declared in his usual bravado style that the courts cannot tell GECOM when elections must be held. The all too familiar internecine play-outs from both parties have added fuel to the perpetual fire. Now the President, and by extension, his advisors are either reckless or retarded for the simple reason that both him and the opposition leader have fought tooth and nail for months before finally appointing a GECOM Chair on July 26, 2019. At last, they have upheld the CCJ ruling by appointing retired Justice Claudette Singh Chairwoman of GECOM. It was a consensual appointment. That said, Guyana now finds itself in political crisis as to whether or not GECOM should conduct house-to-house registration, which is scheduled to finish by October 20, 2019.
In legal perspective, if a person does not comply with a court order that person faces ‘contempt of court’ charges. The President has blatantly violated the CCJ orders to dissolve parliament and hold elections in the stipulated time frame of 3 months. The Coalition Government should have shifted into caretaker status as indicated in Article 106 (6) of the Constitution, but it has not. It is sad that this government, which was elected to uphold the rule of law is flouting it.
Finally, the much touted quality of credibility attributed to the President needs to be re-evaluated. Credibility is not confined only to leadership qualities or to a person’s integrity; rather, it embraces meticulous and rational decisions and adherence to promises and the rule of law. This credibility that many believe that Mr. Granger seem to have has been diminishing over the years due to his actions or lack thereof and the numerous glimpses and stories that have been told of him. I, like many other patriotic Guyanese, are disappointed with the government as well Mr. Granger. I am praying and hoping for better days and a prosperous Guyana.
Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine

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