… betrayed
One of the main reasons for the PNC win is that it had changed its name to APNU through the transparent subterfuge of “coalescing” with the WPA and other paper organisations. Guyanese folk wisdom about old dogs being unable to stop “sucking eggs” is appreciated by the citizenry. NO. It convinced that “swing vote” demographic it would practice “inclusive democracy” in Guyana.
Those swing voters might be as large as the two ethnic voting blocs… but they can “swing” the elections to one or the other because the two of them practically balance each other. But where is the “inclusionary democracy” now?? Trampled into the mud … that’s where. The PNC is not even PRETENDING to include the AFC, much less the five “paper tigers” or – God forbid !! – the PPP as promised in the Coalition Manifesto!
In a word – the mask is off. The Constitution did not just articulate the concept of “inclusive democracy” in terms of aspirational terms in Article 13 – it gave it Judicial Officers, the Chancellor and the Chief Justice, after “consultation” between the President and the Opposition Leader, the last one to give his APPROVAL. This, in effect, gives the Leader of the Opposition a veto over these appointments to the top of the Judiciary – the final bulwark against a dictatorship in Guyana. When there is no agreement – the last decade, the appointees are deemed to be “acting” to signal the lack of unanimity.
While most observers have a lack of unanimity on this crucial institution of our democracy, the “acting” tag at least serves to remind the populace of the Opposition’s concern over their bona fides. It was hoped the “acting” incumbents would find it in their judgements to eschew any trace of bias. But now Granger, leader of the PNC and President, wants to change all that.
Lacking the Opposition Leader’s approval of the ex-GDF Squaddie to the Chancellorship, he had said, “the Courts cannot be paralysed by the behaviour of a person.” Never mind that, by his words, the PNC would‘ve paralysed the courts for 12 years!! Granger now says he’ll seek “legal advice” on the appointments – never mind the Constitution!!
So once again, the President is signalling that his “perception” on the Constitution will rule.
After all, the Judiciary also has “perceptions” on the law!!
… and Cummingsburg
Your Eyewitness got to hand it to the PNC leader, though: he’s certainly consistent with his high-handedness and unilateralism. In addition to pronouncing on judicial appointments, he weighed in on the Cummingsburg Agreement. No need to revisit that document, he declared. Silence, he ruled, means acquiescence – and he has not heard any request from the AFC for a “renegotiation”!!
So what about the AFC Leader, Raphael “Nassau” Trotman and Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan saying they’ll be discussing the Accord at their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting tomorrow? Well, Granger’s signalling his position on the matter and knows that their mouths will be muzzled by the hand that feeds them. Gold “Nassau” has told him, “not to worry”!!
But it shows you the kind of people we’re dealing with. Here it is, the fella who asked for the term of the contract to be relooked at after three years – as stated in the contract! – because he was literally “shafted” is laid up in the hospital. And they do not even have the grace to cut him some slack!!
Real cold!!
… and starvation
Even colder though, is GuySuCo’s decision to raise the price of sugar the day after the wife of a fired sugar worker said all her children had was “a meal and sugar water a day”!
