…several executives resign, refuse to challenge GECOM chair appointment

AROUND five members of the Guyana Bar Association have resigned or ceased attending meetings after disagreeing with other members of the body to file a court challenge against President David Granger’s appointment of Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.

The association is headed by the son of former PPP executive, Ralph Ramkarran.
Sources also said that the association has now morphed into a quasi-political grouping, with some members more focused on challenging the government rather than addressing the numerous critical issues affecting the legal fraternity. Among the executive members who have left the body are Rajendra Poonai, Brendan Glasford, Faye Barker and Mark Waldron. They have all resigned, while Rexford Jackson has since indicated to sources he is no longer affiliated with the council and has stopped attending meetings.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that Poonai cited health reasons for his resignation and Glasford has taken up a new appointment and as such no longer wishes to be a member of the council. However, the two members Barker and Waldron’s resignations came after an incident in which there was a division as to the filing of a challenge to the President’s appointment of Justice Patterson to the post of GECOM chair.

It is alleged that there was a demand that they sign the Notice of Appointment for the matter, after they openly indicated that they did not wish their names to be associated with the matter. Besides, another executive member, Teni Housty, also did not wish his name on the Notice of Appointment, since he was on one of the lists sent by the opposition leader to the President and as such, did not wish to appear openly in the litigation.

According to sources, it was at that point that the other members were asked to sign same. Waldron, Barker and Jackson indicated that they did not agree with the application and as such refused to sign the proceedings and did not wish their names to appear as attorneys-at-law in the matter. The secretary it is alleged then indicated that it was a council decision to file the application and as such, they must attach all names and if they did not wish to, they should resign.

The members Waldron and Barker shortly after resigned and Jackson has not attended any other council meeting since. Sources say the main complaint from the members who resigned is that there are other issues affecting the Bar, including but not limited to matters adversely affecting attorneys’ practice in the family and judicial registries, which both had new rules implemented recently.

Another key issue of contention is the demand by the Mayor and City Council for documents and fees for the issuance of certificates of compliance, not permitted by statute. “Therefore, the focus of the Bar Council on these political matters only, is of grave concern to the members of the wider Bar, since those persons have varying political views,” one senior executive member told the Guyana Chronicle. The senior member of the Bar expressed that it is for this reason that the Bar Association should stay away from political issues and focus on legal matters affecting their membership.

The senior attorney said another example of the Council’s posture is their recent statement condemning what they ‘anticipate’ would be the President’s actions in the Appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice, with no indication from the President that he intends to act outside of the provisions of the constitution. “These actions have many in the legal fraternity questioning the agenda and motive of the current Bar Council,” the source added.