…for a fait accompli
President Granger be contemptuous of the collective intelligence of the Guyanese people – at least the ones who aren’t blinded by rabid PNC partisanship. On Tuesday, he sent off a missive to his unilaterally appointed head of GECOM, James Patterson, asking him to begin preparations for General and Regional Elections (GRE). Even though he was responding to Patterson’s previous communication about GECOM not having “the capability to deliver credible GRE within the timeframe commencing 12-21-18” – that is the date of the No-confidence Motion – Granger didn’t set a date for the said elections, which is his constitutional RESPONSIBILITY!!
So here he is – once again kicking the Constitution into the dust, by allowing the tail to wag the dog – having GECOM set the elections date when it feels like!! Granger’s fig leaf, of course, is to go along with Patterson’s claim there isn’t “enough time”, and financing’s also necessary. Heck, GECOM was always supposed to be ready in three months – by the Constitution!! And GECOM was already provided with $3 billion for voters’ registration, which can be legally used for the GRE.
The reason, of course, as obvious as the smirk on Patterson’s face: he and Granger dilly-dallied since December 21 to ensure the old list, which is VALID till April 30, will become obsolete! Any new voter’s registration exercise, they hope, will add another six months to the life of PNC-led Government! But Granger and Patterson are a tad too smart for their own good!!
From Patterson’s missive to Granger – as cited by Granger – GECOM recognised that the three-month period for holding elections after the NCM, started ticking since 12-21-18. Immediately, the President and Cabinet were supposed to’ve resigned – their self-described “plenary” or “caucus” confirmed that! A new Government has to be sworn in after GRE held in three months – March 19, 2019!! After that day, the President, Cabinet and Government are dead, kaput, finished!! They have no legitimate power.
If they try to remain in office, no arm of the State – much less the people – are obligated to listen to them. And to stave this off, on behalf of Granger who’d to jet off to Cuba for more chemotherapy, Harmon wrote to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo requesting a meeting with the President on March 6!! That is, two weeks before his Government is axed!!
What he’s looking for is a lifeline from the Opposition Leader – since any extension of his Government’s life past March 19 is dependent on votes from the PPP to deliver a constitutionally mandated 2/3 majority vote in the National Assembly.
Jagdeo should remind them of the legal doctrine that a person should not benefit from his own wrong!!
What goes around, comes around!!
…or don’t care??
The problem with justice is, ultimately, it depends on some entity having the power to inflict punishment on the wrong doer. Before that happens, of course, one has to agree on who’ll decide on who’s the “wrong doer”. And we come to the stand-off between the Government, RUSAL, the bauxite workers and the bauxite union.
Who decides whether RUSAL’s the wrongdoer? The Government? But the Government’s an interested party being party to an agreement with RUSAL. And even more “interested” about the votes of bauxite workers who deliver three seats from Region 10!! Can the Government compel rehiring when RUSAL says the union’s irrelevant because of its flawed “labour” recognition certificate – and their contract with the workers says, no walking off the job!?! Who decides??
And if RUSAL decides it’ll walk because Guinea’s bauxite is easier to mine (no humungous overburden!) and workers are more “cooperative”, what can the Guyana Government do??
Then there’s the Government’s signalling oil operators they’ll support workers downing tools willy nilly?
Who decides what’s best for all Guyana??
…by the paladin
Responding to a scathing SN editorial, “Democracy at risk” – on the PNC’s post-NCM manoeuvres, Granger’s handpicked GECOM Chairman James Patterson declared “This Chairman is a PALADIN for no one”!
Really? He’s not a Government servant!!
