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Mr Granger no longer entitled to be called President

Dear Editor,

On 21st December 2018 the APNU+AFC Coalition government lost a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.  Article 106(6) of the Constitution of Guyana states:

“The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by a vote of the majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.”

The Caribbean Court of Justice held that Article 106(6) “immediately became engaged” when the no-confidence motion was passed.

Therefore from 21st December 2018 Guyana did not have a president or any ministers.

 The Court of Appeal and the CCJ have both held that all that remained was a ‘caretaker’ government with limited powers and an obligation to call elections within 3 months.

 There is not a single person in Guyana who is entitled to be called ‘president’, ‘prime minister’, ‘minister’ or ‘Attorney-General. Mr Granger, Mr Nagamootoo and all persons who held ministerial appointments in the APNU+AFC Coalition government must respect the Constitution and stop claiming titles such as ‘president’, ‘minister’, ‘prime minister’ or ‘Attorney-General.’

 We ask all diplomatic missions and their respective governments, international organisations, all Guyanese citizens and organisations and entities, all national and international media, to refer to  ‘former president’, ‘former PM’, ‘former minister’ or to use the political party designations (e.g. leader, deputy leader.) We are happy to see that Kaieteur News is already doing this.

The caretaker government failed to call elections by 18th September 2019 or to get an extension. This is a serious violation of the Constitution that means they stopped being a constitutional ‘caretaker’ government and became an unconstitutional illegitimate de facto administration.

It is now almost 16 months since the no-confidence motion and in all that time Guyana has not had a lawful president or cabinet. It is urgent to install a new government based on the will of the people.

Irrespective of any political agreement between Mr Granger and Mr Jagdeo, we insist that GECOM immediately obeys the laws of Guyana, finishes the verification and tabulation of the official statements of poll for the region 4 electoral district and makes a valid declaration in compliance with the instructions of the Chief Justice.

Yours faithfully,

Nigel Hinds

Marcel Gaskin

Ramon Gaskin

Anand Goolsarran

Melinda Janki

Lenox Shuman

Desmond Thomas

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BREAKING

STATEMENT BY Robin Singh

On March 2, 2020, a little over two hundred and fifteen thousand Guyanese exercised their franchise in support of the APNU/AFC ticket. I witnessed the ringing of bells, banging of pots and calling out the vote as early as 4.30 am in C Field, Sophia.

Good cheer and high spirits were on display even as the good-natured grumbles of those who would rather have slept in were heard. There was a clear belief in democracy and the right to elect a government of their choosing. Now that the party that these people voted for has turned its back on democracy, who represents them? And who can, or will, in the immediate future?
There is a leadership vacuum in the Peoples National Congress, and it must be filled by someone of impeccable character. For democracy to work best, a strong Opposition is a vital component.

Only a small percentage of these voters would endorse a system of government where the winner is pulled out of Mr. Mingo’s hat; and even then, only if their side were guaranteed to win that ‘Bingo’ every time. The vast majority, including the large block of Christian church goers, must be appalled at the machinations of David Granger, the man sold to them via countless images of him on his knees in church pews, devoutly praying; piousness personified in the picture, but all false piety in reality.
Various party members, supporters, and influencers are engaged in frustrating the electoral process whilst selling various ideas of shared governance. A few others have made statements of integrity, among them Dominic Gaskin (AFC Executive and Former Minister of Business) and CN Sharma, political leader of the JFAP, an APNU member party.

To those willing to subvert democratic ideals for ‘sharing of corn’, I recommend the following lines from Churchill’s address to the Commons in 1947: “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time…”

The silence by the most senior member of the PNC, Mr. Carl Greenidge, is loudest by its absence of comment. There has been repeated denial that he has been fired as Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; however, there was no paycheck issued during the last payday, and his name has been removed from the payroll of the Ministry. I have it on good authority that Greenidge was asked by David Granger to perform ‘damage control’ after Minister Karen Cummings’s disastrous intervention at the GECOM Region 4 headquarters during the Mingo fiasco.
Mr. Greenidge inquired of the President in what possible capacity he could engage the diplomatic community and observer missions, and bluntly refused to engage in untoward conduct that in his opinion could only exacerbate an already bad situation and bring further disrepute to the nation’s international reputation.

Carl Greenidge is a former victim of a rigged election. His challenge for the leadership of the PNC and the ensuing brouhaha are well known, including gunplay by Granger’s personal bodyguard Mr. Primo. I believe that a partnership with Greenidge and former PNC Chairman Basil Williams has to be formed to lead the reformation of the PNC and its rebirth following the actions of Granger, who usurped power in the PNC and is now replicating that on a national scale.

Those 215,000 people need honest and decent leadership urgently, before they lose their souls to the demons of dictatorship.

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FM

This statement and legal opinion supported by credible national personalities is important because the situation emanating from the December 21st 2018 no confidence motion which the govt lost puts sensible people questioning the entire lawful basis of our govt including the President. The fact that we could even get to this point shows the poor judgement of the APNU-AFC and their selfish objection to hang on to power at all costs. This is an international embarrassment from which we will take a long time to recover.

 

 

FM

Granger as an inept leader was a lesson for the young people in Guyana. The PNC will never be in government again after this circus is over. The next election in Guyana will be the PPP against the small parties and new leadership will emerge.

Bibi Haniffa

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