THE Guyana Court of Appeal on Sunday handed down its ruling in the case brought by Ulita Moore regarding the decision to invite CARICOM to participate in a recount of the ballots cast at the March 2, 2020 elections. Understandably, the parties involved have all spun the ruling to suit their political agendas. However, in the final analysis, it was a blow to the PPP’s attempt to interfere in GECOM’s conduct of the election. That party has tried its utmost to commandeer the process by smearing GECOM officials, and, on one occasion, went as far as storming the Agency’s command centre. The court has made it abundantly clear that only GECOM can supervise a recount of the votes; that to do otherwise would be a violation of the Constitution.

Now that the court has ruled, and from all indications has paved the way for a recount to be supervised by GECOM, President Granger has been vindicated. First, it was he who has always contended that GECOM is an independent agency whose operations he stoutly refused to interfere with. From as far back as the fight over the No-Confidence Vote, the President refused to bow to pressures from the PPP and its acolytes to impose an election date on GECOM. He stood his ground, even as he was called all kinds of nasty names, and charged with operating a dictatorship. Now, the court has proven that he was correct in taking that stance.

Second, once the PPP moved to the courts to challenge GECOM’s handling of the tabulation of the votes, Mr. Granger took the position that he would not circumvent the legal process. He repeatedly said that the courts must decide, and vowed to obey their findings and rulings. Even as he expressed his disappointment that the recount did not get off the ground, he held firm to the position that he would wait for the court to have its say.

This attitude was quite the opposite of the PPP’s. While the PPP has been selective in its respect for the court’s rulings, the President and his ‘Coalition’ have been respectful of that co-equal branch of government, even when decisions have gone against them. This is indeed an example to be emulated, whereby the judicial branch of government is granted the respect it deserves. President Granger has been a tower of strength in that regard.

We pause to lend our voice to saluting the courts for their conduct these past few weeks. And while we do not agree with some of the rulings, our respect for the professionalism of our judiciary is profound. No democratic society could be sustained without an independent judiciary, free from the tyranny of the executive, and pressures from other political forces. From the No- Confidence Vote to the present, the judiciary has had to fend off repeated attempts by the PPP to pressure it into becoming entangled with partisan politics. In the end, the Guyanese legal system is intact, and our country is stable, amidst attempts at destabilisation.

The recent ruling by the Appeal Court regarding CARICOM’s participation has caused more than passing debate. There is some confusion over the precise role of the CARICOM team which came to Guyana when the recount was first agreed. Even Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley has weighed in on the matter. He correctly argued that CARICOM never understood its role, in supervisory terms. The team, according to him, was in Guyana as scrutineers rather than as supervisors.

This is precisely the position of President Granger, the author of the CARICOM initiative, and a staunch supporter of GECOM’s independence. He could not have invited CARICOM to usurp GECOM’s authority after being the chief defender of the independence of the latter. The invitation to CARICOM was born of a deep desire to prove to the world that the ‘Coalition’ had nothing to hide, and was confident that it had prevailed at the elections. It was never meant to take away GECOM’s constitutional mandate; but again, the mischief was planted by the PPP. It was they who, as part of their plan to undermine GECOM, told the world that CARICOM had come to Guyana to count the votes and declare the PPP the winner. The Court of Appeal has correctly rebuked them. The recklessness of the PPP continues to embarrass Guyana. Their fabrications and downright lies are being exposed daily. All their attempts to smear the reputation of President Granger have failed miserably. This latest ruling by the Court of Appeal has vindicated the president; his respect for the rule of law and the autonomy and independence of our constitutional bodies remains a central plank of his approach to statecraft.