It is dishonest, indecent, sheer hypocrisy, and insulting. APNU/AFC’s 2020 manifesto promises good governance, just as they did in 2015. Two of the planks for good governance are a strong, inclusive Constitution and empowering the Integrity Commission. It is shameless they would even talk about strengthening the Integrity Commission when for almost two decades, before 2015, they flouted the authority of the Commission, not ever submitting any declaration and, then, after 2015, with their own appointed commission, treating it with absolute disregard and contempt. It is sheer hypocrisy they talk about constitutional reforms when they have been in control of this process since 2011, nine years, and have done nothing, absolutely nothing, while, simultaneously, flagrantly violating the Constitution. Since 2015, they have abrogated the Constitution, discarding its authority like a dirty piece of paper.
In APNU/AFC’s 2020 manifesto, they, again, promise good governance, after being Caricom’s poster child for dictatorship, secrecy, unaccountability and non-transparency. At the heart of their promise for good governance are two proposals for the Integrity Commission – first, they proposed the strengthening of the Integrity Commission and, second, a review of the Integrity Commission Act. The sheer audacity, indecency and dishonesty are nauseating. No wonder many people feel like vomiting when they read such patent lies. These proposals are insulting to the Guyanese people. It treats them with total disdain.
The Integrity Commission did not start with APNU/AFC. It existed long before. For almost two decades, PNC parliamentarians never submitted their declarations, their excuse being the Commission was a PPP creature. After 2015, under the Integrity Commission Act, David Granger himself appointed and swore in the members of the Integrity Commission. A strong supporter of APNU/AFC, a known friend of Moses Nagamootoo, was appointed its Chairperson. Since 2015 to present, dozens of MPs and officials from APNU/AFC, the new name for the PNC, including many ministers, have not made their declarations – they are in violation of the law. Mr Granger himself is one of the officials who admitted he had not submitted his declarations on time. As of January this year, Mr Granger had not submitted declarations that were due since June 2019. While promising Guyana an effective Integrity Commission, has Mr Granger submitted his declarations yet?
With such scant regard for the Integrity Commission, it is sheer hypocrisy, disgusting arrogance, to tout the Integrity Commission an instrument for good governance. What is the use of reviewing the legislation if a Government and a President openly flout its authority, rendering it a paper tiger, something people laugh at? If the Government-appointed Commissioners refuse to uphold the integrity of the Commission itself, how is it that the Commission could serve as the watchdog to prevent officials from abusing their authority for personal gains? In five years under the administration of APNU/AFC, the Integrity Commission has been totally, absolutely useless. Would the Commission and its Chairman be silent had Bharrat Jagdeo been in violation? This is a government that does not respect the institutions that are supposed to guarantee accountability and transparency, that are supposed to share governance. After emasculating the Commission for five years, now in its 2020 manifesto, it is touting the Commission as an instrument for integrity, decency and honesty. There is no point promising to strengthen the Commission if, in the first place, the Government has no regards for it. Sheer hypocrisy!
As for constitutional reform, five years have gone and APNU/AFC has never even drafted a single amendment to the Constitution. The only thing David Granger and APNU/AFC are interested in is to eliminate the No-Confidence Motion. They want unbridled power, no scrutiny, and no accountability. Every strong democracy, every single one, has provisions for recalling a government, whether it is by way of a No-Confidence Motion or by way of impeachment. After not a single initiative to reform the Constitution over the last five years, in their 2020 manifesto, all they promise is to fund community consultations. They spent more than $100M annually over the last five years for community consultations, but there is no report of these community consultations and reforms proposed in those consultations. Now, all they could say for constitutional reform is they will continue with those consultations. It is sheer dishonesty.
It is indecent and dishonest to side-line the standing commission for constitutional reform in the Parliament of Guyana, established by the PPP. APNU and the AFC have been in control of this Commission since 2011, with Mr Granger himself the Chairman between 2011 and 2015 and Basil Williams since 2015. In the Granger-led commission, APNU and the AFC had 6 members to the PPP 4. I was a member of that Commission. It met only two times. Since 2015, with an APNU/AFC— majority again, the Commission has met only twice in five years. Thus, in ten years under the leadership and control of APNU/AFC, the Commission has met four times, two of those meetings were for the election of the Chairperson, those meetings lasting for no more than two minutes. Why should anyone, therefore, have confidence APNU/AFC is serious about strengthening the Constitution and the Integrity Commission? It is pure and simple, sheer hypocrisy.
