Dear Editor
PRESIDENT David Granger continues to be vindicated by the courts. His application of the laws of Guyana in the exercise of his function as President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana cannot be questioned.
The President has at all times said that he respects the Constitution of Guyana, will abide by rulings of the court and adhere to the decisions of the elections commission. Adherence to the rule of law, a concept that may be foreign in some quarters of the opposition, has been at the forefront of President Granger’s leadership. The constitution of Guyana remains sacrosanct and has been instructive during this difficult period.
It is important to extract that since the passage of the no-confidence motion of December 21, 2018, there has been a flurry of legal action and legitimate challenges, but the President continues to be guided by the constitution. He complies fully with rulings of the courts. The opposition in its heyday attempted to corrupt the court system by interfering in its jurisdiction to suit its purpose; these distant memories are eclipsed by the oath taken by the APNU+AFC coalition government and its adherence to the rule of law.
It is President Granger who expressed the position that the government as any other entity, and more so representing the interests of citizens who voted the coalition into office, has a right to enquire about the legitimacy of the vote carried by Mr Charandass Persaud. The government exercised its legitimate inquiry all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and abided by the decision of the regional court which said that the vote was validly passed.
It is President David Granger who consulted with the leader of the opposition in his constitutional capacity to appoint a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission in fulfilment of the ruling of the CCJ to ensure the delivery of credible General and Regional Elections.
It is President David Granger who gave his unreserved commitment to ensure that the GECOM was given all necessary financial allocations to conduct its work to ensure it can deliver credible elections. The President ensured that at all material times the commission was supported. Notably, the opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) systematically stymied the work of the commission by frustrating its efforts to sanitise the Official List of Electors (OLE) through the house-to-house registration process. It was because of the tantrums thrown by the opposition that that process was abruptly ended.
It was President David Granger, who, having been advised by the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, dissolved Parliament and declared March 2, 2020, as the date for the General and Regional Elections. The PPP in its familiar fashion attempted to hijack our democracy by facilitating a bloated list and making wild accusations through out the tabulation process.
It was President David Granger who invited the CARICOM delegation to observe under the consideration of the constitutional agency GECOM, the recount of the General and Regional Elections. The President sought calm while the hooligans of the PPP threatened to destabilise our nation, sowing seeds of discord and damaging the property of the state which benefits all Guyanese.
It was President David Granger who respected the legal challenge to the constitutionality of the CARICOM initiative and awaited the determination of the courts. The court has ruled and like the rest of the country, President David Granger joins all Guyanese in awaiting the Elections Commission to chart the course forward.
Guyanese must continue to reject the politics of division peddled by the PPP and salute the astute leadership of David Granger and the APNU+AFC coalition as we fight against the lawless and indecent PPP which has shown its colours. Let us fight the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and reject the bad politics of the PPP as we build one Guyana. The Decade of Development is upon us.
Regards
The Guyana Youth and Student Movement
Congress Place, Sophia