Ahead of today’s highly anticipated meeting with President David Granger, the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo moments ago said he does not have “very high” expectations of the engagement.
Speaking at a press conference less than two hours before the meeting, Jagdeo pointed out that it seems as though government is going into the engagement to discuss the interpretation of the CCJ’s advice for the two leaders to meet and discuss the appointment of a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.
According to Jagdeo, he is clear on what the CCJ meant in their advice.
“It’s clear as daylight (what the CCJ advised)… a child in Guyana can interpret that but not this cabal,” he stated.
“I sincerely hope I’m not going into a charade, for the sake of the Guyanese people…,” Jagdeo said.
The Constitution stipulates that the Opposition Leader must submit a list of six nominees from which the Head-of-State will choose a GECOM Chairman. But the President now wants to submit three nominees to that list.
Jagdeo has since shutdown this notion, but said he is open to President Granger informally suggesting candidates for the position.
Moreover, the Opposition Leader noted that the only reason he is going into the meeting at 15:00h today is to fulfill his constitutional duty.
“I am going to this meeting in pursuant of a constitutional responsibility to submit six names from which (the president) will select the chair of GECOM,” he noted.
Jagdeo went into say that this recent move by government is a deliberate act to allow the coalition to stay in office when it should have been resigned and preparing for elections.
“It’s a delaying tactic to continue to rape resources of our country… They will hang onto to office for dear life,” Jagdeo asserted.
