Jagdeo criticises Granger on top judicial appointments

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo says President David Granger seems to be “losing his memory” or “being dishonest” regarding the People’s National Congress (PNC) stance on top judicial appointments in the past.

Jagdeo contended that the Head of State has no authority to condemn him for holding up the process of making substantive appointments when the PNC, over the last several years, never consented to nominees made by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration for substantive appointments of the Chancellor and Chief Justice.

“Imagine this President was Opposition Leader from 2011 to 2015, he withheld his agreement for all of those years for the appointment of a substantive Chief Justice and substantive Chancellor…he has now given me one month and suddenly my behaviour is what is holding up the appointment. Can you be more dishonest?” Jagdeo told a news conference on Thursday.

President Granger told media operatives on Wednesday that the courts cannot be paralysed by the Opposition Leader’s decision to reject his nominees. He also accused Jagdeo of stymieing the work of the judiciary.

Jagdeo contended that President Granger is just making excuses and he raised suspicions that the Head of State is laying the foundation to make an unconstitutional decision.

“[President Granger is] using this now as an excuse for maybe more unconstitutional acts in the future,” Jagdeo said, referring to the appointment of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) which he maintained violated the Constitution of Guyana.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo expressed concerns that President Granger is being advised by Attorney General Basil Williams on the way forward regarding the appointments of the Chancellor and Chief Justice.

“If this President is awaiting advice from this AG, our AG, then we’re in for big trouble because our Attorney General has proven over and over again, his inability to deal with complex issues, actually, I should say his inability to deal with even simple issues,” he stated.

On February 7, Jagdeo informed the Head of State of his disapproval of his nominees Justice Kenneth Benjamin and Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards as Chancellor and Chief Justice respectively.

See previous stories here: https://admin.newsroom.gy/2018/02/14/courts-cannot-be-paralysed-by-opposition-leaders-decision-president/

https://admin.newsroom.gy/2018/02/07/jagdeo-rejects-nominees-for-chancellor-cj/