…“hails CCJ ruling as triumph of the constitution over political obsession

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Tuesday hailed the CCJ ruling on Guyana’s presidential term limit as “a triumph of the constitution over ambition and political obsession” and says the decision is likely to strip PPP General-Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo of his clout in that party.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle shortly after the ruling was handed down, the prime minister said the decision of Guyana’s final appeal court vindicates the processes of the Guyanese people who recommended a two-term presidential limit, which was followed through in Parliament, hence the amendment to the constitution.

“The CCJ has validated a sound and entrenched guarantee that no one person should exercise a monopoly on presidential office,” said Nagamootoo, who is performing the duties of president. He said the case which was brought by Cedric Richardson, a citizen, clearly demonstrated that former President Bharrat Jagdeo attempted to mask his true intentions with respect to running for a third term. Jagdeo served as President for two terms.

The constitution, he reminded, provides certain qualifications that a candidate must have to run for the presidency. “…all the amendment [to the constitution] did was to add another qualification that says you must not serve before as president for two terms,” Nagamootoo said while noting that it was former President Bharrat Jagdeo who assented to the legislation after its passage in the National Assembly.

“I would say it was hypocritical of Jagdeo to assent to the amendment and at the same time nurtured his ambition to undermine and defy it…and it speaks volumes about his political character.” He stressed that the amendment was made to ensure that there exist clear criteria upon which a person could run for office.

Shame
Nagamootoo, who was once a member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and is now an executive member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), said there are many ways in which one can serve one’s country. “It is not always that it should be at the top. There will be enough room in the grassroots and other sections of society for someone to serve.”

He believes that the underhand move to have such a case filed before the courts has brought “shame to those who in defence of a political obsession chose to accuse the CCJ, Guyana’s final court of appeal with racism.” The acting president said he is happy the case has been definitively decided upon once and for all and disassociated himself and government from what he deemed to be “calumnies heaped upon the highest judicial officers.”

Asked what the ruling means for the PPP, Nagamootoo said having read the reaction of former president Donald Ramotar, who is a long-standing member of the PPP, “it is clear that the presidential obsession is not shared by senior members of his party.” Ramotar was quoted in one section of the media as saying the ruling by the CCJ is good for Guyana.
Nagamootoo said it is possible that the CCJ’s ruling on the presidential term limit may strip Jagdeo of his “clout in the party, now that he is no longer in the equation to run as president,” while quickly pointing out that that is an internal matter.

He assured however that Jagdeo is not feared, while adding that the APNU+AFC coalition would have defeated the former president twice, once in 2011 and the second time in 2015.
“Both times he campaigned vigorously as if he were the presidential candidate; Jagdeo has been rejected by the Guyanese people twice in free, fair and open electoral contests and crying foul would not enhance his misfortune,” the prime minister stated.

Meanwhile, former Speaker of the National Assembly now Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, who was party to the case in the initial stages expressed satisfaction that the CCJ has vindicated the arguments made by his attorneys and those representing the state. In a statement, Trotman, who was represented by attorney Roysdale Forde, said the inclusion of a presidential term limit in the constitution was done “properly, fairly and unanimously, and does not in any way diminish, or interfere with, the free will of the people.”

“Presidential term limits are common in democracies throughout the world and serve to strengthen democratic states. This is the modern direction that Guyana agreed to go in 2001,” he said, noting his respect for the autonomy of the CCJ and its jurists.

“This has been a long and unnecessary ordeal which this nation was put through to satisfy the ego of one man. All the framers of the 2002 constitution reforms, regardless of which political party or civil society organisation they represented at that time, have won a precious victory today. All of the nation’s leaders need to recapture the spirit of the 2001 constitution reform process and work to achieve a more cohesive, peaceful and productive nation,” said Trotman, an attorney by profession.

He said Guyana must learn from the ruling and “reject authoritarian leadership in all its forms and never allow the advances made to be rolled back by the obsession with power of a single individual.”
Likewise, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) expressed satisfaction with the CCJ’s decision in the case. The party in a statement lauded the decision and sought to remind citizens that the “inclusion of term limits in the Constitution of Guyana was done after extensive consultation and passed unanimously into law by the National Assembly.”

“The PNCR affirms that term limits provide an important check on the concentration of power; strengthen democracy and ensure long-term stability. Today’s decision was good for democracy and good for Guyana,” the stated added.

Additionally, the Alliance For Change (AFC) in a statement shortly after the ruling was handed down, said it agreed with the ruling by the court, noting that it is consistent with the Constitution of Guyana and its intention. “Presidential term limit is an essential feature of modern democratic societies to which Guyana has subscribed and we must not be bullied into regression to satisfy the power-hungry ambitions of one man.

This decision by Guyana’s highest court reaffirms the paramountcy of the rule of law and of the sovereignty of the Parliament,as it must never be forgotten that the Parliament of Guyana unanimously approved the raft of constitutional reforms that ushered in an era of inclusive governance where “winner take all” politics was dismantled,” the statement said.

The party believes that Richardson was used as a pawn for former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who now serves as opposition leader to be allowed to run for a third term in office.
“This case is not about the rights of Guyanese, which are protected by the constitution, it was not about freedom of choice, it was a last-ditch attempt by Jagdeo and his acolytes to shamelessly attempt to grab power through the back door. The intent was to engineer a second round of pillaging of the national treasury as he had done for the 12 years of his presidency,” the party’s statement said.

The party said if the former President were to contest the upcoming 2020 elections it is confident that the Guyanese people would “once again reject him and that he would be resoundingly defeated at the polls.”

“Guyanese no longer wish to be subjected to the oppressive and autocratic rulership of this political despot,” stated the AFC, while noting that confidence had been rekindled by the APNU+AFC coalition government. “Guyana’s economy is being restructured on the basis of sound economic policy and revitalisation of the major sectors is under way. Guyana’s integrity and respect on the international stage has been restored.

Once again, Guyanese can be proud of their country and its leadership. This is a time for us to move forward in confidence, not look back in regret and return to the failed leadership of the past. In the end, this case was won for every Guyanese, particularly the young people, and for our country’s future,” the party concluded.