UK envoy voices fear over impact on business if no elections pact reached
-renews appeal for consensus on way forward
Calling for consensus between the country’s political leaders on a way forward before Thursday’s constitutional deadline for the holding of new elections, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn yesterday expressed fear that in the absence of an agreement business in Guyana will suffer.
“I, therefore, urge, indeed, I implore, the political leadership of this country to get together and agree [on] a constitutional way forward for this country. It is absolutely imperative this happens. If no way is found to move forward, I fear there will be a further and more harmful impact on business and investment in Guyana. None of us in this room want that,” he said during the opening session of the 129th Annual General Meeting of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
Quinn very early in his feature address dedicated a few minutes to commenting on Guyana’s current political situation.
On December 21st, a vote by then APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Charrandass Persaud on an opposition PPP/C-sponsored no-confidence motion against the government led to its passage by a vote of 33 to 32.
The constitution says with the passage of the motion, new elections are to be held within three months or at a time set by two-thirds of the elected members of the National Assembly. Government is now challenging the validity of the motion and the articles that provide for the new polls in the courts.
Already, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire has ruled that the vote was correctly tabulated, was validly passed and that this should have resulted in the immediate resignation of the Cabinet, which includes the president.
Those judgments are being challenged in the Guyana Court of Appeal and with Thursday being the constitutional deadline, it is unclear whether a decision will be given before. Government has indicated its preparedness to take the case to the Caribbean Court of Justice for final adjudication.
Quinn, who stood before the small gathering at Duke Lodge yesterday, reiterated an earlier plea to President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to “come together” and find a solution.
“We’re now in a situation where both sides need to come together and decide what the solution is and how we get over the current issue,” Quinn had told reporters last Friday, while responding to questions shortly after a joint press conference hosted by himself and the visiting Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Barney Crockett. He had stressed that in the absence of the Guyana Elections Commission’s readiness to hold elections, the three-month deadline could be extended once agreed to by at least two-thirds of the elected members of the National Assembly. In order for this to happen, government will need the support of the opposition.
Outspoken
Quinn stressed yesterday that the UK government supports democracy as well as good governance in Guyana. “My predecessors have been outspoken about the importance of free and fair elections. I
said the same thing in 2015. I said the same thing on 21 December last year and I will continue to say the same thing going forward,” he said.
“The Constitution is the supreme law of Guyana. It is not, however, my role to interpret that Constitution. But what I will say is that the clock is ticking following the no-confidence vote in December. A legal process is ongoing, I recognise that, but that clock has not been stayed,” he added.
The government has been unable to secure a stay of the clock and legal analysts had said from the outset that this was unlikely. At the moment there are four applications before the Court of Appeal for stays of the High Court rulings and conservatory orders to keep the president, the Cabinet and government in place until the substantive appeals are heard and determined. Oral arguments in these
matters will be heard on Friday. There is no indication as to when the court is expected to rule.
“All political parties have a responsibility to act honestly and truthfully and to act for the betterment of every citizen – not their own pockets or to their own narrow interests. Politicians need to put the people first,” Quinn stressed, while adding that voters also have a responsibility to hold their elected officials to account for what they have done or what they are doing and “to not blindly follow one party because that has been what the family has always done.”
In this regard, he called on the populace to gravitate towards the politicans who have their best interests at heart. “It is time to look to whomever has the best policies and the best plans for Guyana,” he said.
Penned
Subsequently, GCCI Senior VicePresident, Nicholas Boyer reminded the audience that Deodat Indar, the Chamber’s president, penned letters to Granger and Jagdeo regarding the consequences of the present political situation on business. He said that the Chamber is relying on the results of a survey that was recently done to make its case. “…The political impasse and the current environment is definitely affecting business as the results of our survey show and we hope that the leaders can get together and find a way forward,” Boyer stressed.
Jagdeo told Stabroek News on Sunday that he does not foresee a resolution and he laid all the blame at the feet of the president.
The opposition has been insisting on elections by April 30th, while the government has said that it is the Guyana Elections Commission that has to advise when it would be ready. Both sides remain deadlocked following two meetings and Granger is currently in Cuba, where he is undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
At the last meeting it was agreed that they would meet again once the president meets with GECOM and determines their readiness for elections in the shortest possible time. Jagdeo had made it clear then that he was not prepared to continue discussions unless a date is announced and has said that having a third meeting wouldn’t make sense after March 21st.
Jagdeo has accused Granger of acting in bad faith on the holding of constitutionally-due elections, while maintaining that government cannot continue holding office beyond the March 21st deadline unless an extension is granted by twothirds of the elected members of the National Assembly.
Government, in response, has said the claims are furthest from the truth as Granger has demonstrated impeccable leadership, despite consistent attacks from the opposition, given the current circumstances and that Jagdeo should be blamed.
Several political leaders have publicly said that some March 22, Guyana will be in a “constitutional crisis,” a claim that the government has denied.
“Guyanese people are smart and they know the type of political leadership they have had. So try to get the facts and analyse it for yourself. Don’t believe the fake news. Guyana is not in a crisis. Guyana has a strong, stable government, which respects the Constitution, respects the rule of law and will never damage that,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon told members of the Guyanese diaspora in New York over the weekend.