Leader of the Opposition, Bharat Jagdeo said he is willing to meet with President David Granger on the matter of selecting a new chairman for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
DURING a media briefing on Thursday, Jagdeo said he looks forward to meeting with President Granger, with the hope that he has selected someone from the recently submitted list of nominees for the position. President Granger had said he looks forward to having a meeting with the leader of the opposition, but said no date has been set. “I haven’t set a timeline, I don’t know about Mr. Jagdeo’s availability, but it is a busy week… [But] I look forward to meeting him very soon. I hope next week, if he is available, once he is available.”

“Usually when he rejects my list, he would usually send a letter, but since this will be an actual meeting, which is a change, I hope he has selected someone,” said the Opposition Leader who reminded members of the media about his two lists of nominees that were rejected.
The last list of nominees includes Major General Joseph Singh, Onesi La Fleur, Sanjeev Datadin, Annette Arjoon-Martins, Krishnadatt Persaud and Teni Housty.
On Wednesday President Granger told members of the media that in addition to studying the Curricula Vitae of the list of nominees, he has been studying the “opinion” by the Chief Justice (ag), Roxanne George-Wiltshire and its implications for the decisions he will soon make.
Deliberating on Article 161 (2) of the Constitution, after the High Court was approached by businessman Marcel Gaskin for an interpretation, the Chief Justice said the President has sole discretion on the determination of what is ‘fit and proper’ and as such, he is not obligated to select a person from the six names on a list of which he has determined positively that the persons thereon are unacceptable as fit and proper persons for appointment.

Justice George-Wiltshire, in her ruling, also advised that there is no legal requirement for the President to state reasons for rejecting a list, though it is her belief that in the furtherance of democracy and good governance, he should, since Article 161 (2) speaks to the need for dialogue and compromise. Jagdeo said, now that he has the written ruling from the court, he expects the President to respect it and ensure that it is applied to the selection of a candidate. The Leader of the Opposition believes that unlike the past two lists that were rejected without an explanation, if this one is not accepted then he expects the President to give a reason in order to maintain good governance.