Dear Editor,
The unilateral selection and appointment by President Granger of Justice Patterson to be the new Chairman of the Elections Commission takes the country backwards for decades. We all remember the appointment of Sir Harold Bollers, a retired justice of our courts. He was more of a puppet to the directives of Burnham than an independent chairman.
This government fired Justice Prem Persaud with the lame excuse that he was too old to hold the chairmanship of a constitutional commission. They had to show that they were applying the same principle across the spectrum by also removing Hamilton Green as head of the Central Housing Authority. They were so cunning about the Green affair, that they ensured that he is now getting a pension 7/8th of that of the sitting Prime Minister. Now we have an 84-year-old heading another constitutional commission, and the age is now no barrier to this appointment.
President Granger is saying one thing and doing exactly the opposite. His own requirement for a person to be appointed to the chairmanship of the Elections Commission is for that person to have knowledge of the electoral laws. Is Justice Patterson knowledgeable about the electoral laws? Did he participate in any matter before the courts that has to do with our elections? If so, how long ago was that? He is 84, so he must have retired a few decades ago.
Can we hear the opinion of the AFC leadership? What is their take in this very important matter?
The President should rescind this appointment and follow the Carter-Price formula for our democracy to prevail.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Sugrim