THE Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) has congratulated Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards on her appointment as acting Chief Justice of Guyana. President David Granger met with the Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo at the Ministry of the Presidency earlier this month to consult and determine who would be appointed to perform the functions of the Office of the Chief Justice, as Justice Ian Chang was scheduled to proceed on leave yesterday.
At the meeting, the President nominated Cummings, a Justice of Appeal, primarily on the considerations that she is a woman with many years of experience as a Puisne Judge of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature, a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal, as well as her competency and professionalism.
Within and outside CAJO circles this appointment has been greeted with tremendous acclaim throughout the CARICOM region. According to the CAJO, Justice Cummings has impressed all with the sincerity of her judicial opinions, the plain and straightforward manner in which she expresses them and the logic and coherence of the decisions she makes. These qualities, coupled with the unyielding firmness of her convictions, her humility and genteel disposition, mark her out as an outstanding jurist.
CAJO notes that Justice Cummings’ predecessor was made to act indefinitely in the position for over 10 years. At its recent Conference in Jamaica, CAJO drew attention to this serious injustice and in CAJO’s post-conference resolution the association deplored “the poor practice of Heads of Judiciary being appointed to acting positions for inordinately long periods of time”.
CAJO said that it warmly congratulates Justice Cummings and looks forward to working with her in this new capacity.