The unilateral swearing-in of the Teaching Service Commission

Jan 04, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

It is with profound dismay that one observes President Irfaan Ali’s recent unilateral swearing-in of the Teaching Service Commission—an act executed without the constitutionally requisite consultation with the parliamentary opposition, notably the WIN Party, whose representation is essential to this process as the incoming Leader of the Opposition. This is not merely a procedural oversight; it constitutes a flagrant and contumelious and scornful violation of the Guyana Constitution. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? If the highest office in the land openly disregards the supreme law, what recourse remains for the citizenry, and what example is thereby set?

Of equal, if not greater, concern is the deafening silence from certain quarters of civil society, particularly the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA). This same body voiced unequivocal, principled condemnation in October 2017 when President Granger, mala fide, subverted the prescribed process to install Justice James Patterson as GECOM Chairman. The GHRA rightly decried the abandonment of the “constitutionally-agreed process” crafted to ensure bipartisan legitimacy for a pillar of our democracy. Where, one must inquire, is that clarion voice today? Does their commitment to constitutional propriety apply only ad hoc, rather than as a universal principle?

The parallel is both glaring and odious. Then, as now, the executive has engaged in a sui generis reinterpretation of constitutional mandates, bypassing mandated consultation to effect a de facto appointment. To deem this TSC process anything other than a pro forma “kangaroo” court would be an exercise in sophistry. The core principle remains immutable: democratic integrity is inextricably linked to scrupulous adherence to processes designed to ensure cross-party consensus, particularly for bodies wielding significant public authority.

President Ali’s actions represent a perilous modus operandi. This precipitous, extra-constitutional imposition of a Commission—a veritable fait accompli—not only undermines the rule of law but also sow the seeds of future institutional crisis. All subsequent actions of this illicit body will stand under a cloud of illegitimacy, inevitably requiring future remediation by a properly constituted commission. This injects profound uncertainty and injustice into the heart of our education system, doing a grave disservice to the teachers of Guyana.

This is not a minor transgression. It represents an identical, brazen breach of constitutional protocol and poses an existential threat to good governance and the very integrity of the Office of the President. To countenance such an act is to normalize constitutional erosion.

Therefore, it is not merely advisable but imperative that the WIN Party and its allies initiate immediate legal proceedings to challenge this hijacking of our constitutional spirit and intent. Our foundational document was conceived as a bulwark against executive overreach, a system of checks and balances. Failure to act decisively now begs the question: are we embarking on a path toward quasi-dictatorship, which can lead to full blown dictatorship, where the executive operates supra legem, and independent institutions risk becoming mere instrumenta regni?

The nation awaits a robust defense of its Constitution in the Court of Law.

Yours faithfully,
Surujdai Juglall

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Guyana Constitution, Letters, Surujdai Juglall, swearing in, Teaching Service Commission, WIN Party

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