–as members of the Judicial Service Commission sworn in

NEWLY-appointed members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) were sworn in on Friday by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who said that this will allow for “a smoother turning of the wheels of justice in Guyana.”

The commissioners: Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonnette Cummings-Edwards; acting Chief Justice Roxane George; Former Chancellor Justice Carl Singh; Retired Justice of Appeal Beasraj Singh Roy; and Chairman of the Public Service Commission Manniram Prashad were sworn in at the Office of the President.

According to President Ali, the JSC, which is mandated by Guyana’s Constitution, acts as a safeguard of the independence of the judiciary by assuring that appointments to judicial offices are insulated from executive intrusion.

He said: “Our Constitution vests the Judicial Service Commission with the power to make appointments, to prescribe judicial offices, and to remove and excise disciplinary control over persons holding, or acting in such offices. It also protects the independence of the Commission by providing that, in the exercise of its function, the Judicial Service Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority.”

The Head of State affirmed that his government will respect the independence of the judiciary, as the independence of this branch of government has been fortified and, consequentially, Guyana’s system of democratic government made secure.

Dr. Ali went on to say that Guyana’s judicial system is not without its challenges, since the country is currently short of the full complement of judges and magistrates, and this has placed some amount of burden on the existing pool of judicial officers.

He said: “Now that the Judicial Service Commission is in place, it is anticipated that some of those burdens will be lifted, and will thereby allow for a smoother turning of the wheels of justice.”
President Ali assured members of the Commission and, by extension, the judiciary of the government’s continued support for the implementation of their budgets, and ensuring that investments are made in the right technology systems and infrastructure that will allow for the smooth, efficient and transparent functioning of the judiciary.

He added that the process of modernisation that the country is going through requires not only the legislative arm of government to work assiduously on the modernisation of legislation and laws, but also the judiciary to work at a pace which is consistent with the transformation that is currently taking place.

For this to be done, President Ali said that the right complement of human resources, infrastructure, technology and systems must be placed in place, and they need to ensure that those persons in the judiciary uphold their responsibilities.

While President Ali encouraged the Commission to be faithful to their oath of office, it was revealed that Justice Cummings-Edwards, Justice George, and the Chairman of the Public Service Commission will serve as Ex-officio members. The Chancellor will serve as Chair of the JSC.

The newly sworn-in JSC has a three-year lifespan, and is responsible for making recommendations for judicial appointments. There has been a 20-year impasse on judicial appointments, with the last substantive Chancellor being Justice Desiree Bernard.

The current Chancellor and Chief Justice have both been acting in their respective positions for quite some time.