Dear Editor,
So we have some serious disagreements within the family. The parent of one side of the family decides to pull its support from the efforts of the family to prevent our neighbour from moving the fence to take in more of our land that includes where the family treasures are buried.
I cannot and do not support such action. Stop sitting at the dining table with the rest of the family and that’s okay; stop eating food cooked by the rest of the family (collecting pensions, etc) and that too is okay; but don’t withdraw support from resisting the neighbour from moving the fence to take control of the family jewels.
The PPP is wrong to withdraw from the Border Commission as part of its protest against the unilateral appointment of a Chairman of Gecom.
In unilaterally appointing a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission President Granger has not violated the Constitution of Guyana or broken any law. However, he has chosen not to utilize an agreed on formula for the selection of a new chairman which has been in place from 1992, which formula was respected and utilized by former presidents and opposition leaders.
Given years of widespread allegations of rigged elections this process helped to bring back a certain degree of credibility to the electoral process. President Granger, in my view, has chosen a lawful path in selecting the new chairman but unfortunately landed our nascent democracy a knock-down, if not knock-out blow.
The one positive thing emerging from the President’s action is that the 18 people put forward by the Opposition Leader could now enjoy comfort in the knowledge that they were never either fit or proper; but that His Excellency seem-ed to have decided some time ago on the path he would use in this selection process. I have a hunch that Judge Patterson may be unable to hold the post up until the next election; and that within 18 months perhaps, there will be the need for a new chairman and the President will revert to choosing a fit and proper person from the list submitted by the Opposi-tion Leader.
Yours faithfully,
Wesley Kirton