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Attorney General supports GECOM’s decision to not renew legal officer’s contract
Kaieteur News- Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall said he supports the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) decision not to renew the contract of Legal Officer Kurt DaSilva.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall
Nandlall, speaking during his weekly ‘Issues in the News’ programme on Tuesday, said he was “not surprised” by the decision. He said DaSilva’s legal position could have caused “tremendous public damage to this country.”
The three government commissioners, Clement Rohee, Sase Gunraj, and Manoj Narayan, voted against the renewal of DaSilva’s contract. The vote was supported by GECOM’s Chairperson Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, who recently gave DaSilva a 98/100 on his appraisal. Opposition-nominated commissioners Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin, and Desmond Trotman walked out of the meeting in disapproval.
The controversy surrounding DaSilva’s contract renewal stemmed from his legal representation in a court case filed by People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member Carol Smith-Joseph. Smith-Joseph challenged the voter registration process, specifically questioning the verification of addresses provided by registrants. She argued that checks of some addresses revealed empty lots or abandoned homes.
DaSilva, appearing in court, opposed Smith-Joseph’s suggested verification methods, stating they would reimpose an unconstitutional residency requirement for Guyanese citizens. However, he proposed creating a separate voter list for the general and regional elections, requiring separate ballots, but emphasised that any changes should be made in alignment with the constitution. As such, GECOM’s CEO, Vishnu Persaud, criticised DaSilva’s stance and ultimately denounced his submissions.
Nandlall weighed in on the legal officer’s conduct, describing it as problematic. “This lawyer went to court and argued a case and put forward a position contrary to the instructions of his client and could have caused tremendous public damage to this country and could have put this country into a constitutional crisis.”
Nandlall expressed that DaSilva should not have taken a position opposing GECOM, explaining, “What he cannot do is tell that client that I will represent you and go to court and do something different. Worst yet, represent the cause of the other side.”
Nandlall also criticised DaSilva’s arrogance during the court’s proceedings, adding, “I tried several times during the hearing to guide the young man and he was so aloof and arrogant, so I am not surprised that they did not renew his contract.”
In response to the opposition’s disapproval of GECOM’s decision, Nandlall asserted that they would have acted similarly if their lawyer had misrepresented them. He further emphasised the necessity of acting on instructions from GECOM, stating, “This legal officer also is not a lone ranger. He has to act on the instructions of GECOM and people who can understand that they have to act on the instructions of the authority, then they have no place in working for that authority or working in an organisation.”
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