President Granger’s penchant for reckless disregard of the law

Jan 26, 2020 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I am open to being challenged on my observation that President David Granger, given his short reign, is on record for being the President who abused the Constitution more profusely than any other President.
The Court of Appeal recently unanimously affirmed and upheld the decision of the late Chief Justice, Ian Chang, that Winston Felix and Keith Scott occupied their seats in Parliament illegally and that President Granger acted illegally in appointing them as Ministers. The Government had forestalled their removal by applying for a stay of the Chief Justice’s order until an appeal is heard. They knew full well that this process would take years to conclude. The illegals continued to enjoy all the aggrandizement of the Minister’s portfolio. Should a case be made for voiding the decisions of the illegals? Who will repay the taxpayers for the millions the illegals received? The logical conclusion is that those who were responsible for the unlawful appointments should be held accountable. Yes, I am saying that President Granger and his chief legal advisor, Basil Williams, should be held responsible.
The Government ran a country with at least six illicit Ministers. These Ministers held senior Cabinet positions, including acting as President. They formed a significant core of the executive decision-making process and therefore represented a substantially illegal Government. Instead of holding them accountable, the President rewarded them with lucrative alternative positions. President Granger appointed these individuals as Members of Parliament and Ministers when he was fully conscious that they were either non-elected Members of Parliament or dual citizens and therefore prohibited from such appointments.
Why aren’t these dual-citizen Ministers charged for knowingly and recklessly making a false declaration to GECOM and personally benefitting from their illegal actions?
According to the Caribbean Court of Justice, President Granger illegally appointment James Patterson as GECOM’s chairman. Many within the leadership and rank and file of the Alliance For Change warned about this ominous development. Khemraj Ramjattan reprimanded them, and he professed legal soundness of the appointment. Ramjattan is on record for agreeing beforehand with David Granger to appoint GECOM’s chairman unilaterally. I am calling on the people of Guyana to hold President Granger and Khemraj Ramjattan personally liable for the unlawful appointment of James Patterson. Basil Williams should also bear responsibility for his puerile legal advice that cost the taxpayers millions in legal costs.
The Coalition plus AFC Government represents the antithesis of parliamentary democracy. They refused to accede to the fall of the Government when it was brought down by the No-Confidence Motion. The despicable clinging to the absurd argument that 32 is greater than 33 is an assault on the intelligence of the Guyanese people never seen before. Some people at the highest level of the legal profession sold their souls to the highest bidder and succumbed to tribal instincts. The legal profession is not merely a business. It is a public trust, and that trust was betrayed by senior lawyers who conceived this pernicious
nonsense and the Court of Appeal who ruled in a manner alien to law or logic. A careful reading of the Court of Appeal’s majority ruling that 32 is greater than 33 is most outrageous. It is my opinion that the majority of judges committed the cardinal judicial sin of reasoning backwards to justify their predetermined decision. Speculations abound as to why these two judges failed to appreciate the gravitas of their choice. They are directly responsible for the continuation of a government that no longer had official authority. This ruling will certainly cast doubt on the creditability of their future decisions. The Caribbean Court of Justice once again pronounced on President Granger and his Government’s illegality. The question that lingers is who bears the cost for this Government’s illegal actions. How can the illegals be brought before a court of law and account for their illicit actions? Also, those who supported these illegals must shoulder some responsibility.
This analysis demonstrates the trajectory of the Coalition plus AFC’s mindset. There are many other illegalities of this Government which will come out from an objective enquiry of their ruinous five years rule.
The people cannot trust these illegals with the governance of Guyana’s new-found oil reserves. It is common knowledge that this Government gave away Guyana’s oil reserves for a pittance. You can take your pick whether the Government is merely incompetent, grossly negligent or corrupt. There is no logical explanation for why the Government gave away Guyana’s wealth without regard for the best interest of its citizens. It is not far- fetched to speculate that those responsible acted in self- interest of its citizens. It is not far- fetched to speculate that those responsible acted in self-interest at the expense of the people.
Yours truly
Tameshwar N Lilmohan

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