General Secretary of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Bharrat Jagdeo is concerned about what he described today (Monday, January 23, 2017) as an assault on the Judiciary by the Coalition Government.
Speaking at his Monday press conference, the PPP General Secretary expressed concern regarding what he deems as a worrying trend of the Government which he claims has launched an “unprecedented assault on the Judiciary.
According to Jagdeo judges, magistrates and other members of the Judiciary who do not make decisions favourable to the Government are subjected to campaigns led by the State media in an attempt to destroy their credibility “…and hopefully this will in the warped thinking of those who manage our affairs at the national level intimidate judges and the others to be compliant and give decisions that are favourable to the Government for fear of being publicly ridiculed and chastised about their decisions.”
The PPP General Secretary pointed to an example of an even more worrying trend as he described it, “I (have) seen a report from Mr. Nandlall speaking about the Attorney General saying ‘is we out she deh, she gotta give decisions favourable to us’ this crude sort of comment I think it’s one of his letters, the crude form of approach by the Attorney General where there is an expectation somewhere in his head that once an appointment is made, even to an independent office in Guyana by the APNU Government that people are obligated, not to act professionally or impartially but to act in a manner that is beneficial to the APNU Government.”
According to Jagdeo the country is witnessing a return to the past thinking of PNC paramountcy alluding to the hoisting of the PNC party flag above the Guyana flag on the Supreme Court building.
Inspite of public denial by the Government, Jagdeo said many Central Government officials were forced to attend APNU’s general council meeting, a replication of the past under the PNC Government.
Jagdeo told media operatives he is even more worried about the Attorney General conveying the impression that the President is Supreme to the Constitution, as if he (the President) is the final authority to definitively interpret the Constitution.
According to the General Secretary it is this very “repressive” mindset that drove the economy into the ground.
He noted too that the Government is becoming increasingly desperate as concerns continue to mount from the public regarding to its ineptitude with blatant squandering of resources and numerous scandals are exposed. Jagdeo is contending that the Coalition is losing significant good will across the country among it supporters and even those who would have given them a chance.
