Private sector calls on President to name elections date

-says doing business under gov’t without constitutional authority becomes `virtually impossible’

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday called on President David Granger to name a date for general elections now that he has been given advice on a timetable and it also criticised GECOM for providing a date that was in contravention of the Constitution.

Noting that on Thursday, GECOM Chair, Justice (Rtd) Claudette Singh informed President Granger by letter that elections would be possible by the end of February 2020, the PSC called on him to set the election date for the ending of February and to do so without further delay.

The PSC also flayed GECOM over its February framework, noting that it had given Justice Singh time since her appointment on July 29th to make the crucial decisions before her.

“The Private Sector Commission wishes… to express its deep concern that GECOM’s decision is in contravention of the Constitutional obligation of GECOM to have been ready to conduct elections no later than three months after the ruling of the CCJ on June 18 2019, resulting in the APNU+AFC Coalition remaining in office…”, the PSC said.

It added that it “cannot emphasize strongly enough that any further delay on the part of the President to name an election date will significantly exacerbate the already considerable harm that has been done to Guyana’s credibility as a country no longer committed to the rule of law and constitutional probity”.

The PSC said that since the NoConfidence Motion was validly passed some nine months ago the country has been subjected to a series of unwarranted delays in honouring the constitutional requirement to have held elections within three months of the motion being passed in the National Assembly.

“The Private Sector Commission urges the President to recognize that the condemnation of his government as being in `breach of the Constitution’ by the international community, which includes Guyana’s major developmental partners, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and now the Commonwealth Secretary General, is of serious consequence for Guyana”, the PSC declared.

It further called on the President to recognize the significant number of statements from a wide cross-section of society, including the Bar Association, the religious community, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and AmCham, expressing their deep concern at the unconstitutional status of the government.

“The PSC wishes to remind that the statement from the international community has, in fact, emphasized that Guyana’s economic development and the ability of those countries to support our development needs, is now dangerously compromised.

“The PSC must point out that …doing business under a government shorn of its Constitutional authority becomes virtually impossible due to the premiums placed on international equity and borrowings and the demands for compliance with procedures of international financial institutions”, the umbrella private sector grouping declared.

It also expressed “grave disappointment and dissatisfaction over the inaction and deafening silence” of the Heads of Government of CARICOM and the Secretary General of CARICOM for failing to discern the serious challenge in Guyana to the principles of democratic governance embraced by all of the governments of the movement and “to have not, by now, taken appropriate action”. The PSC said it is equally concerned over the silence of the Organisation of American States and its inaction in complying with article 20 of its own Charter.