Green says call to abandon constitution was ‘slip of the tongue’
Branded as reckless for his call to caretaker President David Granger to disregard the constitution and rule regardless, longtime People’s National Congress Reform executive and former Prime Minister under the Forbes Burnham regime, Hamilton Green yesterday said that his words were just a “lapsus linguae” (slip of the tongue).
“A slip of the tongue is no fault of the mind and I never intended to discard our constitution and our laws,” Green told Stabroek News yesterday.
On Thursday evening, Green as a guest on Benschop Radio sparked a furore when he said he would advise Granger to disregard the constitution and the recount results for the March 2nd general elections.
“I would say my young brother, David, remain calm, and remain optimistic. You have got to be optimistic. In another few days or another few weeks, it may be unpopular in other quarters; a massive step forward to take us out of this confused environment, and for the sake of your children, and our children and their children, do what is necessary. Put aside the constitution, put aside the laws. You are at this moment, and we hope for a long time, Commander-in-Chief,” Green said when asked by Benschop what he would say to Granger.
“Take action so that your people, our people, Guyana will honour you no matter what it costs. Let me say further to him, great men have always been criticized by outsiders. You are in charge of us, we have great faith in your statesmanship,” he added.
His actions saw reproof from many persons, with former Attorney General Anil Nandlall saying that not only is Green’s advice unlawful, but that it mirrors similar actions taken by the PNC during their dictatorial rule during the 1970s and 80s.
“In other words, he is urging Granger to govern by tyranny and not through the will of the people; to commit a coup and rule by executive edict, not by law and the constitution,” Nandlall said on Saturday.
Further, he added, “Such rule will necessarily see a suspension of the Constitution, including the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizenry and a hijack of the rule of law. In a word, there will be anarchy in this land!”
He told Stabroek News that the radio programme is one where Granger himself has been a guest many times, even when he would not make himself available to the local press corps and he is sure he would have been listening.
Nandall said the former Georgetown Mayor’s actions were callous but unsurprising as it was what Green was accustomed to.
“Fortunately, in the year 2020 that we are living in, it is a world that is completely intolerant of the views of people like Hamilton Green. Democratic forces in this region will not tolerate those diabolical views to take hold. This generation of Guyanese are of a different breed they will not allow a political relic like Hamilton Green to do to them what he did to their parents and grandparents,” he added.
Green told Stabroek News that his comments were taken out of context.
Asked how his saying that the constitution should be disregarded should be interpreted, he said that everyone who knows him knows that he is a lawful man who wants unity for this country.
“What I said was taken out of context and what I meant, notwithstanding or in spite of, or despite, the constitution I have always believed in. I have always believed in the laws in this country and my words were getting mixed up. It was not my intention, in any way, to disregard our constitution and our laws. I have for decades supported the call for unity and a national front government, anchored on a moral and spiritual revival,” he said.