Difficult to establish if the AG works for us the people or for his party
Dear Editor,
I met the Attorney General (Mohabir Anil Nandlall) on two occasions, the most memorable was during the (2020) recount at the Sleep Inn Hotel on Church Street. The now Vice President and Home Affairs Minister were in attendance along with several of us from smaller Parties. Give the AG credit, he is eloquent and a charismatic speaker, it is a trait of many seasoned lawyers, including my son. However, I am not sure if the AG works for us the people or for his party (PPP/C}. In 2023, Guyana ranked as the 87th most corrupt country out of 180 countries, India 93, Dominican Republic 108, on the World Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Most students from primary to high school will know this is a failing grade. Let us face it, corruption is an abscess in our society and has festered for decades. We are all guilty for allowing it. Corruption (CPI) is not a measurement of how we see ourselves, it is how others see us. Accepting it is the first step towards improvement. “If corruption is a disease, transparency is a central part of its treatment.” — Kofi Annan. We Guyanese have an excessive fountain of secrecy within our government.
As we scour the earth and try to discern the responsibilities of Attorney Generals around the democratic world we struggle to come to grips with the role of our AG, Police, DPP in Guyana (something is missing). I read the constitution. Over the past 6 years I have listened to every Thursday News Conference by the VP (Jagdeo). As a man of no intellectual infirmity, I heard his utterances of individuals committing malfeasance (crimes) as public office holders in the opposing party, some may also ask about the current Government. However, one assumes there is no space in Camp Street, Lusignan or Mazaruni for all. The constant blaming of officials with no prosecution has become overbearing. We are aware many here believe prosecutorial and judicial incompetence is also part of our problem. I have looked at “Boris Johnson GB”, “Sarkozy F”, “Nixon USA”, “Zuma SA”, “Netanyahu Israel”, “Lee Myung-bag S. Korea”, “Park Geun-Hye, S. Korea”, “Trump USA”, “Temer Brazil”, “Khan Pakistan” and many, many more, have all faced prosecution, brought by their “AG”. The “AG” should be working for us (Government) not the party.
In Guyana, few officials have faced prosecution and ultimate conviction. There is a word for this called exceptionalism, we are not exceptional with a ranking of 87. Both political parties have been guilty for over 58 years, even the average thief man knows this. Many government officials around the world have lost their job to perjury (basic lying under oath). That is where it should start, then financial crimes. Maybe we should have an elected AG for each County - Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara, reporting to the appointed AG to bring transparency. Our police force is not equipped for the level of investigation needed and our DPP looks like a rubber stamp. The perception of corruption in Guyana will never go away unless the average person and the world sees
accountability from the top down. It’s why corruption is pervasive from the bottom up also. My professor once told me a fish rot from the head first, he was wrong, the belly will cause it to rot sooner. The DPP and Prosecutors have an abysmal success rate in Court and our judiciary demonstrates incredible inconsistency. Justice delayed is justice denied for us the Guyanese people. Aggressive prosecutorial efforts without fear or favours can change this.
Sincerely,
Everton D Morris