It is a real tragedy, that inspite of Guyana being on the eve of oil production, the country has been plunged into a constitutional crisis where the President and his ministers continue to carry on as if it’s business as usual. As we stated recently, On September 18, the President and his ministers lost their constitutional standing and they should no longer operate as a government as there was no two-thirds parliamentary approval granted to extend the life of the government.
Following the court rulings and in weeks leading up to September 18, the President could have acted in good faith by complying with the Constitution by first, naming a date for elections as he was obligated to do. By insisting that he was awaiting the advice from Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) puts the electoral body above the Constitution. This is not a regular electoral cycle; the constitution is clear on what happens after a no-confidence vote; and as clearly stated by the CCJ, GECOM and all other stakeholders are expected to abide by the Constitution.
The country is presently in a state of paralysis; and the APNU/AFC Coalition seems unbothered. The reality is Guyana is in unchartered territory and there is no clear indication as to when this crisis would end. The Chairperson of GECOM has advised the President of a timeline in which the electoral body would be able to run-off elections. However, in spite of receiving this advice, the President has still not named a date for the elections. In fact, at the time of writing this article, the President and some of his ministers have all been flown in to Port Kaituma (Region 1) for another ‘government outreach’, which we all know is geared towards winning votes. Of course taxpayers would have to share the burden of financing these ‘outreaches’.
We cannot think of any modern democracy where there is this barefaced, wanton disregard for the constitution by a government. The pressure is mounting on the President to call elections and cease operating as a government. Immediately after the advice was given by the GECOM Chair, the ABE countries in a joint statement said that by surpassing September 18, the government is in breach of the Constitution following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on 18 June and its subsequent orders.
The actions of the President will hurt everyone as having failed to act within the confines of the CCJ’s ruling, he has not only brought the country into an unnecessary constitutional crisis, but has placed it and all Guyanese at risk of the consequences of possible international sanctions as critical developmental support could be withheld.
The ABE countries were correct in pointing out that this situation which Guyana finds itself in comes at great cost to the people of Guyana. “The prevailing political uncertainty undermines Guyanese institutions, compromises economic opportunities and delays development across all areas including infrastructure, education, health, and social services. It also hinders our ability to support Guyana’s development needs,” the foreign powers stated.
This is very unfortunate for our nation as this is the time that all stakeholders should have been actively engaged in putting mechanisms in place to ensure that citizens get the maximum benefits from the impending oil and gas sector. The development potential of this country as a result of this new sector is exciting. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), having concluded its Article IV consultations in Guyana, projected that oil will dominate Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by as much as 40 per cent by 2024.
Never before in the history of this country there was so much optimism and excitement as it relates to our development potential. However, this engineered political crisis by the APNU/AFC is sending the wrong signals to foreign governments and investors. Investors coming here want to be certain of political and economic stability where their investments are safeguarded. They want to operate in an environment where the government and other actors abide by the constitution and rule of law. The political uncertainty we are faced with has the potential to cause our development to be delayed and stifled once more.
With First Oil on the horizon, Guyana has another opportunity to become a wonderful country with unlimited opportunities; a place where young people would be happy to stay and help in its development; history will judge President Granger harshly if he continues along the path he is taking. Naming a date for elections, cooperating to hold credible elections and accepting the results once the elections are over will restore the level of confidence needed at this time.
