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Let us be reminded that Democracy was threatened by the APNU/AFC government

Mar 18, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

It is good to take note that President, Dr. Irfaan Ali “… has assured (Guyanese) that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government will adhere to its constitutional mandate in holding General and Regional elections this year.” His direct pronouncement is that “What you can be assured of, is that this government will not go a single day beyond its constitutional mandate.” In this very breath he made the timely comment that “… this government (PPP/C) will not go a single day beyond its constitutional mandate, unlike what you were exposed to after the No-Confidence Motion.” And this is where I join him, the Elected President, in a few reminders.

First, I recall that the PPP/C, in December 2018, while yet in Opposition, successfully passed a No-Confidence Motion and hence, via default, toppled the sitting A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition regime. This, as far as I know, was supposed to bring about the holding of elections withing three months after the fall. What eventuated was shameless as Coalition tried to argue that 33 is not a majority of 65. Thus APNU+AFC set off a series of ‘time-wasting’ court cases against this successful passage of the motion and delayed the elections until March 2020 when they yet tried to breach the strong-hold of the Constitution, and in many ways too.

Secondly, I go back to the constitutional violation of David Granger, erstwhile President, when he ‘unilaterally’ appointed retired Justice James Patterson’s as the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. This created mayhem, stemming from his ‘statement’ that he could not find and choose any from the 18 names, in the three list that then Opposition leader, Bharrat Jagdeo submitted to him. His ‘excuse was that none from the pool was ‘fit and proper.’

This matter added to the delay of the elections as it reached the Caribbean Court of Justice.  Finally, on June 18, 2019, some six months after the No-Confidence Motion “… the CCJ ruled that “we have no choice but to conclude that the process that was followed in the appointment of Justice Patterson was flawed and in breach of Article 161(2)” Guyana’s Constitution.”

Here are a few more reminders for readers to digest.

The occasion when then President Granger attempted to seize Red House from the Cheddi Jagan Research Center and revoked a 99-year Lease. The Court ruled emphatically that that he violated the Constitution.

How about the time when Granger and his posse attempted to remove “tens of thousands” (not a few) of ‘registered electors’ in the House-to-House registration case. Again, the Judiciary was forced to rule that they acted in violation of the Constitution.

Let me quickly top of this breaching of the law by APNU/AFC. This has to do with the biggest and gravest Constitutional transgression of them all, the 2020 General and Regional Elections. I vividly remember that they, APNU/AFC first claimed that they won, but yet subsequently tried to rig and after that failed, they spent almost half of a year, trying to denigrate and render those elections incredible and fraudulent. In the end, and only after many successful legal challenges and international intervention that a national recount of all votes cast was convened and these figures showed that the PPP/C received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC Coalition got 217,920 votes, thus settling the issue.

So, these kinds of vulgar and invasive violations must never be repetated and this is what President Irfaan Ali is reminding the nation of. He and his government will do all that is necessary to preclude any form of Constitutional violation and ensure that Democracy be respected and embraced.

Yours truly,

Ray Anderson

(Let us be reminded that Democracy was threatened by the APNU/AFC government)

(the APNU/AFC government)

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