Dear Editor,
It must be noted that based on the timeframe specified by GECOM for nominations day for any election, Guyana can be considered to be in a ‘constitutional crisis’, unless a two-third majority in Parliament extends the legitimacy of the APNU/AFC Government within the constitutional deadline.
Constitutional Crises can are considered to be ‘manmade’ because of the refusal of President David Granger to dissolve Parliament and call a date for elections in a reasonable timeframe. The Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, said that he is committed to meet with President David Granger if the date for the elections would be decided. Based on the Opposition Leader’s cooperative approach to the President, he might even consider the Government’s legitimacy based on the agreed elections date.
With the ongoing elections court cases in mind and considering GECOM’s readiness, then the elections date can’t pass April 30, 2019, which is approximately 129 days after the successful passing of the no-confidence motion.
The excuse for a house-to-house registration before elections is comical and impossible since we must respect the Constitution and many other factors should be considered for example electronic voting etc, at the same time to ensure that the electoral system is free, fair and transparent, since the electoral system is one of the most important institutional decisions for any democracy.
The President’s deliberate refusal to announce the date for elections is well noted since uncertainty resulting from the political situations is reducing investment, business confidence and political tension. While the uncertainty of election or electoral outcome is expected in every country, it is vital that this does not translate to uncertainty to the overall political stability of the nation since Guyana is vulnerable to these kinds of situations.
President David Granger’s tenure can be summed up by the idiom ‘you can’t flog a dead horse’, this means that whatever particular effort is made is waste of time since there would be no outcome. We are urging that good sense prevails and President David Granger announce the date for the General and Regional Elections. The power is in your hands. Don’t disappoint Guyanese.
Regards,
Zamal Hussain
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