…on GECOM
After Prezzie rejected the first list submitted by the Opposition Leader to fill the vacant position of “GECOM Chair”, your Eyewitness thought while the latter was showing he was a reasonable fella, a bad precedent was being set. Here it was the leader of the PNC, Desmond Hoyte, had been integral in setting up the entire GECOM personnel needs – including the constitutional change on the Chairman. And a new PNC President’s insisting the PPP change course??
What the…!! Constitutional stipulations aren’t just advice you give to your friends and relatives on the QT. They’re literally carved in stone and if any affected institution – especially an arm of government – disagrees with the stipulation, there are two courses open. Get Parliament to change the stipulation – or go to the courts to interpret the clause/rule on its constitutionality. Simple, no??
Well, evidently not to Prezzie. He unilaterally decided he’d be the one to interpret the constitutional stipulation!! From the word go, this should’ve been a non-starter. Your Eyewitness knows the presidency must be respected – symbol of the country and all that. But the President MUST not be allowed to violate the Rule of Law – of which the Separation of Powers doctrine is a foundation stone.
These are part of the constitutional Basic Structure – along with the “sovereignty of the people” doctrine, which will soon be going up to the CCJ to be decided in the Richardson case. Mess with the basic structure of the Constitution and the whole edifice of our State collapses like a punctured balloon.
And it’s not like it was Prezzie”s first “interpretation”. The first one was when he insisted the word “or” wasn’t a disjunctive – indicating what followed was DIFFERENT from what preceded. Which is to say, if the old 1980 stipulation said the GECOM Chair had to be a judge if now followed by “or”, this meant the new persons didn’t HAVE to be Judges – as Prezzie insisted. In the meantime, the brother of Prezzie’s son-in-law took the matter to court for clarification.
Soon Prezzie backed down, but then insisted on specifying criteria which the new nominees by the Opposition Leader had to satisfy. These were “integrity, “independence” and “impartiality”. Now, let’s be honest…How the heck do you have these tests applied?? They’re so subjective they can mean anything Prezzie decides they mean!!
Well, the Opp Leader had gone the extra mile and submitted his second list. But Your Eyewitness figures it’ll all be for naught. Prezzie obviously already has someone in mind.
And it’ll be sheer serendipity if that person just happens to be on Jagdeo’s list!! Nothing else!!
…on GPSU
In one of the old James Bond Movies – “Dr No”, your Eyewitness believes – our hero remarked, “If it happens once, that’s “happenstance”; twice… “coincidence”; but if it then occurs a third time…it’s “enemy action”. How many times has Patrick Yarde been accused of playing fast and loose with the rules of GPSU’s re-election?
Quick now… do you remember the old rule that a president of the GPSU could only hold the post for TWO terms?? Yep!! This was even before it applied to the presidency of the country!! But Patrick got it changed, so he could be there forever – and we’ve all forgotten the cries of outrage at the time. Happenstance.
Then, do you also remember the age limit on holding the GPSU’s presidency was 55 – just like the retirement age for members of the Public Service? Yup…that too was altered and the squeals have been forgotten. Coincidence.
Now we have half the membership screaming Yarde rigged this election.
Don’t even think twice: it’s enemy action, baby!!
…on Portuguese Arrival Day
Prezzie announced yesterday, May 3,, was “Portuguese Arrival Day”. That’s the day the Louisa Baille landed with the first batch of Indentured Portuguese from Madeira.
But is he sure the Portuguese want to be reminded, they too “cut cane”??
