NEWLY-appointed Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman, Justice (ret’d) James Patterson has dismissed the Opposition People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) assertions that he was selected by President David Granger because of his party affiliation.

In fact, Justice Patterson made it clear that he is not a member of any political party and used the analogy: “I use to have a cat named Tabby. If Tabby goes in the oven and gets seven children, you’d call them bread? It is absurd and the minds of those who conceive it got to be exactly that.”

The PPP has accused the retired judge of being a member of the People’s National Congress (PNC) simply because he was a pallbearer for former President, Hugh Desmond Hoyte.
Justice Patterson who was present on Thursday during the opening session of the 71st Sitting of the National Assembly, endured protests by the Opposition Members of Parliament, who has accused the government of appointing him to rig the 2020 national elections.

Noting that such ruckus is not uncharacteristic of parliamentarians in other jurisdictions, the retired judge called for some degree of civility so that the country’s business can go on.
During Thursday’s address by President David Granger, the opposition Members of Parliament held placards which among other things said “No more rigging”.
“You can’t be timid if you go into politics; that sort of thing happens,” he stated while noting that he believes that despite criticisms by the Opposition over his appointment, that President Granger was properly advised.

“The President has been properly advised… he has his own intelligence, his attorney general… a lot of interpretation of law is common sense… reading and seeing what the sentence structure states,” Justice Patterson explained.
Asked whether he believes his appointment was constitutional, Justice Patterson declined to comment.

Meanwhile, when asked to clarify whether he served as Chief Justice in Grenada, Justice Patterson said he served as acting Chief Justice, noting that it was a ‘slip of the pen’ when he compiled his résumé. The PPP has accused Patterson of falsifying his résumé, noting that he never served as Chief Justice in the Spice Isle.

“I have been appointed as the acting Chief Justice; my résumé which I fashioned, having not done one for about 40 years, omitted the acting. If that’s the source of bother to them, and they know otherwise that’s no concern of mine. That’s a fact that they can’t erase,” he declared.

He considered the omission a Lapsus calami or a slip of the pen. That aside, the GECOM chairman said he is settling in well and has been doing lots of reading to acquaint himself.
He is to meet with former GECOM chair, Dr Steve Surujbally, today.