[www.inewsguyana.com] – Former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran has described a recently filed court action to delimit Guyana’s presidential terms as having no merits.
The court action was filed on behalf of Cedric Richardson by a group of lawyers led by Attorney Shaun Allicock.
Despite one of the Attorneys on the panel, EmilyDodson, saying the motion has no political motives, Ramkarran said this is not the case.
Dodson has also argued that a referendum was needed to conduct such a nomentus constitutional reform. Ramkarran, who was Chairman of the Constitutional Reform Commission has however objected to this argument.
“It is not known what arguments the lawyers have in mind, but on the surface and at first glance the case has no merit whatsoever. The only constitutional right an elector has is to vote. There is no right to vote for a specific person. If the two-term limit is to be challenged, it is Dr. Jagdeo [Former President Bharrat Jagdeo] who must do so. And article 90 of the Constitution, which was amended to provide for the two-term limit, is amendable by a two-thirds majority. A referendum is not required. What legal or intellectual circumlocution (‘twaddle’) is going to be deployed to get around the plain language of the Constitution is anyone’s guess,” Ramkarran said.
Ramkarran in his weekly blog made it clear that he is not surprised by the court action saying it signals clear division in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
He said “Dr. Jagdeo is well aware that a third presidential term for him is a topical issue. He is also well aware that there is no longer anyone in the leadership of the PPP who will or can resist any move by him to seek a third term, having eliminated from the PPP leadership all those who have stood up to him. However, the one condition is that the occupant must be outgoing with no obvious successor.
“Promotion of the Jagdeo name is a slap in the face of President Ramotar and can potentially affect his electoral prospects. The message that President Ramotar is being challenged from within, and that there are divisions within the Party, will weaken him and create great uncertainty among PPP supporters. Who in the end will be the presidential candidate, they may now ask, if the case is not withdrawn?”
According to him, the PPP’s “frenzied” response to the court action shows that the Party is not in favor of this “recent attempt to promote Dr. Jagdeo’s candidacy.”
Ramkarran further posited that Jagdeo had previous knowledge of the court action even before it was filed and made public knowledge.
“In a statement the PPP described the filing of the case as a ‘spanner in the works’ that has a ‘hidden agenda’ and is a ‘deceitful and artful fandangle aimed at misleading and confusing PPP supporters.’ The interest of the persons behind the initiative is described as coming from ‘the darkest and deepest crevices of a democracy comparable to the galleries of Hades.’ The case is described as ‘legal twaddle’ and designed to sow discord. The person who drafted this verbose and metaphorically rich statement, (we know who talks like this, don’t we?) knows exactly who has been peddling the ‘legal twaddle.’ The PPP and President Ramotar are clearly extremely angry but wish to stay far away from the instigator, who can stir up more trouble at this critical time” said the Former Speaker.
