PRESIDENT David Granger said he is awaiting nominations from the Parliamentary Committee before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) could be up and running.
Speaking to media operatives on the sidelines of the accreditation of Philippines Ambassador at the Ministry of the Presidency, on Wednesday, the President said there is no reason for JSC appointments to take any longer.

The life of the previous JSC came to an end in 2017. Members of that commission included Chief Justice, Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire; President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Patrick Yarde; Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Justice Prem Persaud, and Justice Lennox Perry.

Guyana’s constitution provides for the establishment of a JSC, which holds the authority to make appointments and to remove and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices.

Previously, President Granger said of the JSC: “The ‘Commission’ is the guardian of judicial autonomy. It is the defender of its independence. It is the protector of its integrity and impartiality… The JSC upholds the independence of the judiciary. It ensures by its diligence that judicial appointees possess the attributes and embody the personal values, which make them capable and willing to resist being influenced by improper partisan and personal interests.”

He said the JSC is intended to insulate judicial appointments from political partisanship and personal and other biases while ensuring that its recommendations for the appointment of judicial officers flow from a dispassionate and objective process.

“The JSC is the custodian of the values and standards of ethical and legal probity by judges and judicial officials. The JSC must zealously ensure that the personal conduct of judges does not bring the judicature into disrepute. It must preserve and protect the system’s integrity,” the President had noted.