Latest update August 4th, 2026 12:30 AM
PPP unveils plans to strengthen judiciary
…no mention of appointing substantive, Chancellor, Chief Justice
Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards (left) and Chief Justice (ag),eor Roxane Gge.
Kaieteur News – The 2025 manifesto of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) makes no mention of appointing a substantive Chancellor of the Judiciary and a Chief Justice even though there is mention of its plan to strengthen the justice system.
Guyana has been without a substantive chief justice and chancellor for over two decades, subsequent to the constitutional amendment in 2001.
Justice of Appeal, Carl Singh was the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary for 12 years up until 2017, and Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards has been holding the reins since then. Similarly, Justice Ian Chang, who served as acting Chief Justice from 2010 to 2016, was never confirmed. Given the delay in the appointments, the then President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Adrian Saunders, had publicly called for the confirmation of a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice, signalling the broader regional concern over the matter.
In Guyana, several independent voices and political figures have called for the substantive appointments. Earlier this year, president of the Guyana Bar Association, Kamal Ramkarran, made the call for the immediate appointment of Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Roxane George-Wiltshire as the substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice of the judiciary, respectively.
Ramkarran, a prominent advocate for judicial reform, further asserted that both Cummings-Edwards and George-Wiltshire have served with distinction and are well-qualified to be confirmed in the permanent positions they currently occupy. “I certainly believe that the people who are performing the role of the chancellor and CJ are the people who should be confirmed for the positions, and it should happen as soon as possible,” he added. Opposition leader, Aubrey Norton, has already expressed formal support for the substantive appointments of Cummings-Edwards and George-Wiltshire, which is a necessary step in the constitutional process.
Public trust
Meanwhile, in its manifesto under the heading “Strengthening the Justice System,” the party is promising that in order to foster greater public trust in the justice system, it will “ensure that justice is delivered in a transparent and timely manner, and support the enhancement of judicial accountability. We will also ensure greater efficiency in the operations of key institutions in the legal affairs sector.”
In addition, the PPP/C is promising to strengthen and modernise the legislative and administrative frameworks of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority and the Land Registry with intentions to provide and efficient and modern menu of service.
Furthermore, there will be the transition from manual to e-transaction, which will cater for the digitization of records for the above-mentioned institutions. This will aid in not only preserving and storing important historical records but to also make accessing records easy, the party outlined in the manifesto.
The party is also promising that it will continue to ensure all services are accessible by citizens in all Regions of the country and continue to update and strengthen the Laws of Guyana to be able to provide greater legal protection and social and economic empowerment of citizens.
Additionally, it will “continue to build a modern, efficient, and impartial justice system to which all citizens have equal and easy access and that guarantees an independent and competent judiciary where citizens can resort to enforce their constitutional rights, resolve legal disputes and one that will prosecute criminal offences in a timely manner.”
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