The PPP has rejected the government’s interpretation of the June 18 ruling by the CCJ that President David Granger can also nominate some of the six persons to be considered as GECOM Chairman but it said that in an effort to find consensus Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is amenable to the President suggesting names for his consideration.
This was communicated yesterday to Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon by PPP executive Gail Teixeira. She was responding to a letter yesterday from Harmon which was a reply to hers from June 25 stating Jagdeo’s willingness to meet continuously on a Chairman since the CCJ had found the unilateral appointment of Justice James Patterson as unconstitutional.
In her reply to Harmon’s suggestion that the President could also nominate persons to the list of six names to be considered, Teixeira said “The Leader of the Opposition has examined with consummate care, paragraph 26 of the judgment to which you have referred and unfortunately, cannot agree with the Government’s interpretation that the said paragraph means …’that both the President and Leader of the Opposition will provide nominees on the list of six persons’. Such an interpretation, not only tramples upon the functional responsibility of the Leader of Opposition, but also, may usurp it altogether”.
She said she hoped that this clarified Harmon’s concerns.
Harmon’s letter had said that he hoped that the Leader of the Opposition would quickly communicate his position on the issue before a date for the meeting with the President is finalised.
The two sides have to make submissions to the CCJ by Monday on the consequential orders which are to be issued on July 12 on the findings that the appointment by President Granger of retired Justice James Patterson as GECOM Chairman was unconstitutional and upholding the validity of the December 21, 2018 motion of no confidence.