The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has called on the country’s national leaders to heed the orders emanating from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) by acting with “integrity” in the upholding of the relevant provisions of the Constitution.
In a release on Tuesday, FITUG stated that like many Guyanese, they “anxiously awaited” the ruling of the CCJ following the Court’s determination that the No Confidence Motion (NCM) was properly passed on December 21, 2018. At the same time, the Court offered its guidance regarding the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) after it ruled that the previous Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, was improperly appointed and in the eyes of the Federation, the two issues are “obviously connected.”
FITUG further stated the need for the national leaders to “act with integrity” and looks forward in the coming days to seeing decisive leadership “especially, at this time, when we find ourselves in previously uncharted waters.” They also felt that the Government’s “utterances” and more so President David Granger’s did not match the clarity of the CCJ rulings.
According to the FITUG, even though the Government has publicly pronounced that it recognized its “interim” authority, at the same time, it seems, “it is prepared to operate without any restriction to its authority.” This, they feel, is nearly a complete departure from the CCJ ruling which said “… the government is expected to behave during this interim period as a caretaker and so restrain the exercise of its legal authority”. It is noted that the CCJ pointed out “…the clear provisions of Article 106 immediately became engaged,” and as has become common-knowledge, Article 106, among other things, requires the resignation of the Cabinet and the President. That not-withstanding, the Federation observed the Government, in a statement on July 13, boldly proclaim “…that Cabinet has not stopped functioning and government must continue to provide public services.” That sentiment was express-ed when the Government, in the aforementioned missive, says it “…will comply with the orders issued by the CCJ…”
FITUG endorses the CCJ statement that says, “…observance of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Guyana rests, in large measure, with the conduct of the various branches of government, that is, the President and the Cabinet, the Parliament and the Judiciary. All must be faithful to the spirit and letter of the Constitution and operate within the parameters given to each by the Constitution”. They also reiterate the Court’s suggestion that those who lead us, “exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution bearing in mind that the no confidence motion was validly passed as long ago as 21 December 2018.”
As far as the Federation is concerned, “The shenanigans and charades have been pursued for far too long and it is now time that we put Guyana and Guyanese first and be respectful of our laws. It is in our interest and in the interest of future generations that we bequeath to them a society that is fully observant of democratic practices and respectful of the rule of law.”
