President David Granger said that his Administration is committed to doing all that is within its power to ensure that important institutions of State, be it the National Assembly, the Judiciary, autonomous institutions and commissions, the conferment of national honours or the award of senior counsel, are not dismissed or ignored as a result of the opinion of any individual or group.
These institutions, he said, are the very pillars on which the Guyanese society stands. The Head of State made these remarks during a simple swearing-in ceremony at State House, where he administered the Oath of Office to Ms. Amoura Giddings, a young attorney-at-law, as the new registrar of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal.
“The objective is to establish an efficient public service and from the time we entered office we took steps to ensure that the demands of the Guyana Public Service Union, of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal were met… Any State in the world is founded on certain pillars and institutions and if you kick those institutions down the State will collapse and we are committed to ensuring that the institutions remain to support the lawful aspect in public administration and governance,” the President said.
The appointment of Ms. Giddings, which took effect from September 19, 2017, accords with Section 6:01 of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal Act. President Granger said that his Government is fully cognisant of the need for an efficient public service and as such, has worked to ensure that all necessary vacancies are filled. In May, Justice Nandram Kissoon (Chairman), Ms. Abiola Wong-Inniss and Mr. Winston Brown were sworn-in as members of the Tribunal, which has been defunct for over 20 years.
“We will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that the institutions are allowed to function independently and perform their functions, which have been established under the Constitution… The Public Service Appellate Tribunal is important to the public service and the public service is important to the country and we will continue to ensure that pillars of state are given the respect that they deserve,” the President said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Giddings, in a brief comment, said that she is happy to be a part of a body that will make legal procedures affordable to people, who are disadvantaged or who cannot afford to seek legal recourse through the courts.
Parliament by virtue of Chapter 27:01 of the laws of Guyana provides for the establishment of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal, which shall comprise a Chairman, at least two members and a registrar, who shall be the Chief Executive Officer. (Story and photos by MotP)
