LEADER of the Opposition, Bharat Jagdeo, is still to submit to President David Granger curricula vitae (CV) for the six persons he nominated for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Reminiscent of what had occurred when he first submitted a list of nominees to President Granger in December 2016, Jagdeo is once again yet to submit the CVs for the persons listed on his recently submitted list, said President Granger in an invited comment on Friday evening at an Indian Arrival Day ceremony at the Indian Monument Garden.
“Mr Jagdeo has written to me saying that he will send the CVs,” said the President ,who noted that he will not make a choice until he is privy to them.
Asked if there is a timeframe as to when they will be submitted, Ganger reiterated that Jagdeo has agreed to send them, so he will wait for him to do so.
On Tuesday, Jagdeo submitted a new list of persons for consideration as the next chairperson of GECOM was sent to the President.
The six nominees are: Justice of Appeal BS Roy (ret’d); Justice William Ramlal (ret’d); Ms Oneidge Walrond-Allicock, attorney-at-law and a former magistrate; Mr Kashir Khan, attorney-at-law; Ms Nadia Sagar, attorney-at-law and Mr Gerald Gouveia.
Prior to the submission of the new list, Jagdeo’s first list was rejected by the President who justified his action by stating that the six nominees were not qualified according to the constitutional requirements.
During one of his weekly recordings of ‘The Public Interest’, the President had revealed that the Constitution is clear on the required qualifications and it is obvious that what the drafters of the document had in mind was someone who had arrived at the position of a judge. The President made the comments after he had deemed “unacceptable,” a list which the opposition leader had submitted.
The Ministry of the Presidency quoted Article 161 (2) of the Constitution which states that “…the Chairman of the Elections Commission shall be a person who holds or who has held office as a Judge of a Court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a Court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court, or who is qualified to be appointed as any such Judge, or any other fit and proper person, to be appointed by the President from a list of six persons, not unacceptable to the President, submitted by the Leader of the Opposition after meaningful consultation with the non-governmental political parties represented in the National Assembly.”
The new list however comprises two retired justices, a former magistrate and three attorneys –at-law.
