Mr President, you have to set a date for elections, you are losing critical support

Dear Editor,

I do not envy President Granger’s job at this point, based on the current challenges which the country is experiencing and the awkward position which the Government has found itself in after the No Confidence Motion (NCM) was passed. Nevertheless, I think that the President needs to call on the Daniels and Josephs of this day, to share some wisdom and give him good counsel, advice and guidance. It is against this background that my advice to the President would be to set a date for elections and this should be done before the 19 March, 2019.

Editor, I am on the ground; and the word on the ground is that while some/many are sympathetic to the situation which the Government has found itself in since the NCM was passed on 21 December, 2018, many of these persons and organisations will not extend this support outside of the context of the Constitution.

The Constitution is the supreme law of the country and it is the very basis upon which every other law is activated and implemented. It is what gives legitimacy to the functioning and operations of every facet of the country and most of us will not compromise on that. To compromise would be equivalent to knocking out the foundation, pillars and the beams of our houses and the buildings would ultimately crumble.

To say that the Constitution is wrong in this context is bad advice and is treading on very dangerous ground. Sure, there is need for constitutional reform but we cannot now say that the constitution is wrong.

In addition, the basis upon which organisations and institutions - local, regional and international; as well as constituencies can support this or any Government, is premised on the articles in the Constitution and any smart Government in the position that this Government is in, would want to maintain their support which is critical at this point.

What the President’s advisors may not tell him; is that every time the Government loses a court matter, it also lose more critical support.

However, I must also indicate that the President needs to build an ‘Integrity Team’ as he prepares to run again for President and many of the persons around him cannot be on this team. So he has to start building that team. Integrity is critical at this point.

At this point, Mr. President, you have to set a date for elections, it is the wisest thing to do! You are losing critical support with every passing day!

Yours faithfully, Audreyanna Thomas