The Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) had sought legal advice on the extension of the life of the current administration following a request from a government minister, a source told Stabroek News yesterday.
According to the usually reliable source, who chose to remain unnamed, the body had sought advice on the possibility of extending the government’s term through the dissolution of parliament and things of that nature and not a third term for President Bharrat Jagdeo who is constitutionally limited to two terms.
“This was a matter that came from the chairman … there was a minister of the government who apparently called Dr Surujbally and that’s how he sought advice on the matter,” the source stated.
President Jagdeo at a January 10 news briefing had reiterated that he was not interested in a third term and disclosed that he had learnt that Gecom had sought advice related to this issue, a fact which had upset him.
“In a conversation that I had this morning with Steve Surujbally he told me that the commission, he and the commission, asked their legal officers whether it is possible to have a third term, so any opinion that may have been sought did not come from Jagdeo, it came from the commission in their planning process,” Jagdeo told the media
He added that he had made his position clear before and the commission should never have second guessed him.
When Stabroek News spoke to Surujbally on Wednesday, he said it was “absolutely untrue” that they had sought advice on a third term for the president and noted that the head of state had made it clear he was not interested in going past his term limits.
When told what the president had said at his news briefing the chairman retorted, “that’s what Stabroek News heard.” However, while not admitting that the commission had sought any legal advice Surujbally said Gecom would have been in the right to do so.
“That is our job, no one can be annoyed with us for seeking advice on a legal matter,” he declared.
The issue was rekindled recently by the PNCR which accused the president of seeking advice from three legal minds on the possibility of extending the life of his government. Following Jagdeo’s briefing the party rejoined that it had never mentioned third term but rather the continuation of the present administration without the holding of polls constitutionally due this year.
The president had posited that maybe the PNCR had heard of Gecom’s move for legal advice and listed that as one of the possible three legal opinions he had purportedly sought and challenged the party to produce the names of the other two individuals. At a subsequent briefing following a meeting between the president and Leader of the Opposition and PNCR Robert Corbin, the latter responded in the negative when asked whether he was asked about the source of his information on the legal opinions.
“I did not care to divulge nor was I asked to divulge the source of my information or the names of those who proffered those opinions, but I think in a letter to the media I hinted that my objective is not to be put on any proving and fending issue. Those who sought legal opinions must be aware that those from whom they sought those opinions will be examining their credibility and I am not in the business of complying with wishes like that.”
According to the PNCR Leader, he had asked Jagdeo years ago to produce the tapes he claimed he has of PNCR leaders and other politicians meeting criminals in Buxton but that was never done. Therefore, he said, he was under no obligation to be forthcoming and that in addition it would be unethical for him to do so.
“So if we want to have evidence produced let President Jagdeo produce the tapes that he claims he has for all these years of … leaders of the PNC and other politicians consorting with criminals at Buxton.”
