– until new President is sworn in, says Granger

– maintains there are no such things as caretaker, interim governments

PRESIDENT David Granger, on Sunday, declared that he will not demit office until a new President is sworn in.

“There is no such thing as an interim government, there is no such thing as a caretaker government. I remain President until the next President is sworn in,” the Head of State said.

At the time, he was addressing a multitude of people who had gathered at Stelling Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD) to witness the consecration of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Region Three Congress House.
In his first public speech, since the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George- Wiltshire ruled that the no-confidence motion against the government was validly passed in the National Assembly, President Granger said his action and that of his Government, are in keeping with the Constitution of Guyana.

While Article 106 (6) provides for the resignation of Cabinet, Article 106 (7) clearly states that notwithstanding its defeat, the government shall remain in office, until the next President is sworn in. It means that the President remains the President, and the government remains the government until elections are held, and a new President is elected to office.

However, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been calling on the government to scale down on its operations, but the President has made it clear that the work of his government will go on unfettered.

“We are a legal, legitimate government and nothing we have done so far is outside of the law, and as long as I am the President, nothing we will do will be outside of the law,” he told supporters drawn from across the country.

WILL GO ALL THE WAY
He also said the government stands ready to challenge the High Court’s decision.
“Whatever happens in the court we will follow due process. We are going to go to the next stage, and to the next stage, until we have exhausted satisfactorily, I hope, every element and aspect of the law,” he assured the people. The government, this week, is expected to challenge the decision of the chief justice at the level of the Court of Appeal; however, it said that it is prepared to go as far as the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for a final ruling, on the issue of national importance. The government is challenging the decision on the ground that the Opposition needed 34 votes to successfully pass the no-confidence motion, and not 33 as was the case on December 21.

Last month, the President met with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, and it was agreed that there is work to be done at the National Assembly. “So I have not dissolved Parliament, and I have not resigned, and according to the Constitution, I remain President until the next President is sworn in,” he said.

Flipping back the pages of history to not so long ago, President Granger said it must be recalled that on May 11, 2015, 207,200 people voted the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition into office. Pointing out that it took over 6,000 persons to secure a single seat in the National Assembly, the President said that it would only be reasonable for a MP (Member of Parliament) to consult with the people, before taking any action that goes against their 2011 line of voting. Charrandass Persaud had used his seat in Parliament to join with the opposition to bring down his own government. He was an AFC MP before he was expelled from the party, and recalled from the National Assembly on January 3.

SOMETHING UNDEMOCRATIC

“There’s got to be something undemocratic about that, there got to be something cruel and callous about that, that you don’t consult with your constituents. Yuh just jook, stab yuh in de back!”

Urging the people to rally around the coalition at this critical period in the country’s history, the President said that the coalition stands ready to complete that which it has started. “We have not finished our work, but we have not let you down. It’s a work in progress,” he said.

Over the past three years, the government has restored local democracy in the country by holding Local Government Elections (LGEs) twice, in keeping with the constitutional requirement. Those elections were held in 2016, for the first time in 22 years. In addition to improvements in the education, health, infrastructural and social services sectors, the government has transformed four areas into capital towns, with Bartica well on its way to becoming the country’s first `green’ town.

The establishment of the Region Three Congress House, at Vreed-en-Hoop, will serve the people of the region, he said. As a national party, it is his belief that every region should have a congress house where residents could seek refuge.

“Every region must have a congress house and this house is not a house of politics alone, politics is important but it must be a cultural centre… it must be a learning centre… it must be a centre of leisure,” the President charged the local leaders.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who hails from Region Three, said the commissioning of the new Congress House, at Vreed-en-Hoop, is in keeping with the vision of President Granger. Up until 2017, the office was an old wooden structure.

IMPORTANT CENTRES
“These congress houses were meant to be the centre of activity for the party in every region, providing an area where comrades can meet in relative comfort to plan strategies for the regional growth and development. It must be a centre for information and the work of our party, and to be accessible to the public. It must provide youth and women-friendly space where the specific groups can develop and strive,” he explained. He recalled that it was, right there, at Vreed-en-Hoop that President Granger launched the Vreed-en-Hoop Declaration.

Meanwhile, the PNCR Region Three Regional Chairperson, Thandi McAllister, said the commissioning of the new congress house is an indication that the party is not asleep, but aware of its responsibility to foster growth and development of the people.

“Today comrades, it is not for us to debate the validity or not of this motion, nor is it for us to debate the correctness of the Lady Chief Justice’s decision in this matter, it is for us to understand that these events are a siren call for all our members of this great party and, for us in this region, to recognise that we are once again faced with a struggle over who governs our beloved Guyana. Nothing in the recent past has intercepted our resolve, and we remain committed to ensuring that all Guyanese enjoy the good life,” she told those present, to loud cheers and applause. McAllister said that the government has made tremendous progress over the last three years, and will continue to work in the interest of the people. The PNCR forms a major block of APNU.

The commissioning ceremony was also attended by Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally; Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence; Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams; Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan; Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan; Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma; Minister of Education Nicolette Henry; Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes; Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson; and Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Karen Cummings. Several mayors and deputy mayors were also present, along with a large contingent from Linden.