Civil society continues protest for Govt to resign

Members of the civil society group, Mass Action Peoples Movement (MAPM), gathered in front of the Ministry of the Presidency again, calling on the APNU/AFC coalition Government to respect the Constitution of Guyana, resign, and set a date for elections.

The civil society group slammed the Government for what it believes is a violation of the Constitution and the rule of law of Guyana.
Don Singh, member of the MAPM, said that the group is ready to keep up the protests until the Government resigns.
“Our Constitution is being disrespected, whether we like it or not, whether we think Charrandass is a treacherous or a hero; that does not matter, all the judicial processes were followed and here we are. It is the President’s mandate to dissolve Parliament and to call elections…we just want adherence to our Constitution. I mean, we have so many things that are awaiting, like Local Content Policy, we hearing all the time, we can have that, but until we have legislation enacted to give teeth to that, then it’s all for naught. We have the new oil companies at our gates and if we keep fighting among ourselves and not do what the rule of law of our country says then we are lost,” Singh lamented.
Johnathan Yearwood, another protester who joined the call for the first time, opined that Government is presently setting a bad example for the Guyanese people.
“They need to resign, they must abide by the Constitution. If our Government does not honour and obey the supreme law of Guyana, what example are they setting for our children? What example is being set for the school children in Guyana? They will now look at it and say that they don’t have to abide by the laws. When the President doesn’t abide by the law, when the Police stop somebody on the road they can drive away and say ‘who are you to stop me?’” the protestor opined.
Maria Nadir, wife of former Minister Manzoor Nadir, described the situation as unfortunate and also made a resounding call for the Government to respect Guyana and to do what is lawfully mandated.
The Constitution says that following the passage of the No-Confidence Motion, the President and Cabinet must resign and elections held within three months.
That deadline elapsed since March 21, 2019, with Government having spent much of this time in court seeking to overturn the motion, rather than ensuring elections were held.