AmCham urges political parties to abide by Constitution

Calls continue to pour in for Government to respect and uphold the constitutional provisions and resign and call elections by March 19, following the Opposition’s successful No-confidence Motion, which acting Chief Justice Roxane George on Thursday ruled was validly passed on December 21, 2018.
The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Guyana joined in the call and urge the political parties to abide by the Constitution of Guyana.
“It is imperative that peaceful elections are held within the stipulated timeframe, and for all stakeholders to continue to actively work together to build confidence in the business environment. AmCham Guyana wishes to encourage all stakeholders to abide and respect the constitutional provisions of Guyana…” the Chamber noted in statement on Friday.
AmCham added that this time of political uncertainty has impacted Private Sector operations and has been a cause of concern for potential investors. As such, it is calling on political leaders to uphold the rule of law “to avoid the perception of any constitutional crisis and to ensure that the Private Sector and international investors are afforded a stable and welcoming business climate to contribute to the continued development of Guyana.” On Thursday, Justice George in a landmark ruling found that the No-confidence Motion was validly passed on December 21, 2018 and that the absolute majority of the 65 seats in the National Assembly is 33 and not 34 as contended by Government. She also noted that while former coalition Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud should not have been a sitting parliamentarian because of his dual citizenship, at the time of his vote on the motion, he was a valid MP hence his vote was valid. Moreover, the Chief Justice in her decision on a separate matter filed by Christopher Ram, said the President and the Cabinet should have resigned immediately upon the passage of the motion but remained in office until elections are held.
This confirmed to the Opposition’s insistence all along that the ruling A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change should only be operating in a “caretaker” role but the coalition has maintained that there is nothing in the Constitution that speaks to a caretaker government; something which the acting CJ dismissed in her ruling.