Dear Editor,

IN my travels around Guyana to conduct surveys, the public from all walks of life, supporters and opponents of PPP, appreciate the contributions of Anil Nandlall to the nation, describing him as among the best lawyers in the country. The Attorney-General is one of the most revered and celebrated Guyanese legal minds of the last decade. Even his critics told me they admire him. He is well known all over the Caribbean, the diaspora, and internationally. He is viewed as a distinguished defender of electoral rights and among the best known lawyers during the five months election fiasco that wound its way to court almost on a daily basis. His contributions to defending the victory of Irfaan Ali and the PPP were monumental and legendary. As party supporters told me, Jagdeo and Nandlall and other lawyers saved the PPP from the jaws of an attempted stolen election. Without Nandlall’s legal courage and acumen, the PPP would not have been declared the winner of the 2020 elections.

I met, interacted, read about (of), and listened (in court and TV) to all Attorneys General of Guyana from 1992 till now. Nandlall impressed me the most with his articulation of legal issues and his performance in Parliament. Also, I listened to presentations during no confidence court cases, GECOM chair appointee court cases, GECOM registration court cases, election related court cases, and other judicial matters, and his press conferences with media houses. Nandlall was outstanding, absolutely brilliant, cunning, witty, and sharp. I was at the CCJ in person in Trinidad listening to him on the NCM; he was formidable. I read of the Luckhoos, JOF Haynes, Stanley Hardyal, Rex McKay, Shridat Ramphal, Doodnauth Singh, Peter Briton, Fenton Ramsahoye, among other lawyers, who were phenomenal in the court room ages ago. I place Nandlall in the same category. I interacted quite a bit with Ramsahoye who told me he was most impressed with Nandlall’s lawyerly skills; he also praised Nigel Hughes among the best lawyers in Guyana. The late Ramsahoye would have commended Nandlall for his erudition in arguing election and GECOM matters in the courts.

Once I had a conversation with a Trinidadian lawyer who I consider the most brilliant in the West Indies about his impression of Nandlall. This Trini lawyer has appeared before the law lords in England more than anyone else and has won almost all of his appeals and court cases in Trinidad and Caribbean courts and the Privy Council. The lawyer told me he met Nandlall once, very briefly on a plea to appear as the PPP lead lawyer on the 2015 election petition case. The lawyer, who appeared on election matters in other jurisdictions, politely declined the brief saying he was extremely busy and suggested another prominent lawyer from Trinidad. But he said his impression of Nandlall, based on his articulation of the 2015 petition, was that of a most brilliant lawyer. Nandlall did not disappoint as he and the public saw him in action from February 2019 till now.

Nandlall’s reputation relating to his expertise in constitutional matters and law and his skill in presenting arguments is one that lawyers would only dream about attaining in their lifetimes. Nandlall was/is flamboyant, charismatic, erudite, eloquent, and articulate (not fumbling for words in press conferences and in court). During my post August 2020 travels throughout Guyana conducting election and ministerial performance related surveys, Nandlall shone above everyone. Nandlall also received highest ratings among Guyanese in New York for his performance as AG and Ministerial performance and for his articulation before the court and the press on judicial and legal matters. The diaspora elsewhere also applauded his performance. The public notes that Nandlall has a drive for success and that he does not shy away from controversial matters. People are dazzled by his communication skills and his courageous advocacy at court hearings.

Some of the words the public used to describe the AG include: professional, experienced, legal eagle, competent, top notch, ace lawyer, learned, scholastic, highly skillful, adroit, silver tongue, ambitious, self-motivated, committed & dedicated, passionate, goal-oriented, high powered, veteran, super lawyer, well educated, legendary legal mind, well read in law, well-informed, well-schooled (Queens College, UG, and UWI), intellectual, studious, brainy, law expert, legal academic, iconic, and celebrity lawyer, among others.
Besides electoral and GECOM matters, Nandlall appeared on civil and human rights and criminal cases. He is highly regarded as a consistent defender of peoples’ rights and properties. Nandlall is not risk averse in taking cases and in his arguments and motions in court. He is not operationally conservative as many others; he is described as dashing and daring in arguments and motions. He appeared very organised in court and before the press. He comes across as methodical and deliberate. His presentations tend to be detailed and logical.

His brilliance and achievements deservedly qualify him as Senior Counsel (SC) which almost every legal oriented person I spoke with felt should have happened since the second year (2012) of Nandlall being made AG. But the Donald Ramotar government decided not to appoint SCs and Nandlall had to wait years to be recognized for his contribution to jurisprudence.  Granger broke the SC policy in 2015 and appointed a series of PNC supporters as SC with hardly any PPP supporters in the list of honorees. Looking at the names of those who became ‘Silk’ between 2015 and 2019, virtually none of them was more qualified than Nandlall. He was cited in West Indian and Guyana law journals more than anyone else who became ‘Silk’ under the Granger administration. Since 2016, I made the case for his appointment as a ‘Silk’ lawyer, but Granger by passed him. The injustice was corrected in 2020 by President Irfaan Ali who also ‘Silked’ others (like Timothy Jonas) deserving of the honor.

Everyone I spoke with in Guyana and the diaspora felt had it not been for Nandlall’s legal skills, the PPP would not have been declared the winner. He fought tooth and nail for the declaration of the right winner. Had it not been for his legalese mind and his persistent advocacy and insistence in filing appeals against biased court rulings, Granger would have been sworn in through a fraudulent count of votes from Mingo’s bed sheet numbers in mid-March 2020. The public and legal fraternity has been greatly appreciative of the contributions of Nandlall to the nation and to jurisprudence in Guyana and the West Indies. They cannot thank him enough for the services that he has rendered in private practice and in defending the ballot of 2020 and serving as AG.

Yours truly,

Dr. Vishnu Bisram