The Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) yesterday expressed astonishment at the Stabroek News’ editorial of July 26th, 2019 – titled ‘Temporising’ – which it said made “numerous odious and malicious assertions.”
A statement from MoTP said that the editorial sought also to “insinuate insincerity and impugn the character of the President and his office in relation to the matters arising out of the passage of the no-confidence motion” against government.
MoTP said that the Stabroek News’ editorial misinterpreted the meaning of the ruling and ‘Consequential Orders’ of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and ignored the process surrounding the appointment of the Chair of the Elections Commission (GECOM).
The Stabroek News editorial criticised President David Granger on the delay in the proceedings towards the selection of a new GECOM Chair and his interpretation of the CCJ ruling of June 18th, which found that the President had acted unconstitutionally in the appointment of Justice (Rtd) James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM.
In a response yesterday to the MoTP, Stabroek News’ Editor-in-Chief Anand Persaud said the newspaper stood firmly behind the editorial.
MoTP yesterday said that it was with the aim of correcting mistaken opinions that President Granger on Thursday, July 25th, held separate engagements with the diplomatic corps and civil society. It said that it was the groundwork that the President had done between January and July, that enabled the process to be “brought to a swift and consensual conclusion on 26th July, giving the lie to the Stabroek News’ editorial’s silly claims of ‘temporising’”
MoTP said that Granger demonstrated “prudent leadership” in guiding the various processes that followed the passage of the no-confidence motion of December 21st, 2018, and the path for the selection of the GECOM Chair.
It said that shortly after the passage of the motion in the National Assembly, the President called a high-level bilateral meeting between himself and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.
It added that Granger wrote then Chairman of GECOM, Justice Patterson, on 25th February acknowledging his letter dated 21st February. Observers have noted that Justice Patterson waited until February 21st when he should have immediately taken note of the motion of no confidence of December 21st, 2018.
MoTP said that the Chairman stated that the Commission did not have the capability to deliver credible General and Regional Elections (GRE) within the three-month time-frame beginning 21st December and that both additional funds and additional time were needed.
MoTP noted that Granger said in his response: “The Government of Guyana is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the Commission is provided with the financial resources and has sufficient time to conduct credible elections.”
The President wrote further, “I urge the Commission, therefore, to commence preparations for the conduct of GRE.”
MoTP said that Granger further assured the Commission that his Government would “initiate measures to provide the funds required and to seek the approval of the National Assembly to ensure that an agreement can be reached, given both the Constitutional requirements and GECOM’s capability.”
Further, MoTP said that the President, on March 6th convened another meeting with Jagdeo after which, March on 8th, the President engaged the full membership of the Elections Commission. MoTP said that the aim was to determine the Commission’s needs and readiness to conduct the elections in the shortest possible time.
“President Granger has not demonstrated any form of `temporising’ as indicated in the Stabroek News editorial. The Government acted within the law when it approached the Courts to seek clarity on matters that are of interest to it”, MoTP declared.
It added that Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, stated that the “full, final and complete settlement of these issues by a Court of competent jurisdiction will place beyond any doubt any question which may exist and serve to give guidance to the Speaker and to the National Assembly for the future.”
MoTP said that the Government’s recourse to the judiciary aimed only at bringing clarity and certainty to the contentious issues which arose as a result of the no-confidence vote. It said that the Stabroek News editorial’s allegation that the legal challenges were delaying tactics by the Government is infantile. Persaud said that the editorial made no such allegation.
MoTP said that the Stabroek News editorial went on a “stupid excursion” in its attempt to show that the President deliberately sought to delay the appointment of a Chairman of GECOM. It said that the newspaper ignored completely the conditions laid down by the CCJ.
According to MoTP, the CCJ, on June 18th, said that the most sensible approach to appointing the Chair of GECOM was for both the President and Leader of the Opposition to communicate with each other in good faith and to discuss the eligible candidates for the position before the formal submission of a list.
MoTP said that the Court said that the two sides ‘must’ agree on the names of six persons who fit the eligibility requirements and are “not unacceptable” to the President.
Persaud said the MoTP reading of the CCJ ruling was erroneous. The ruling said that the two leaders “must communicate” on the names, not that they ‘must agree.’
MoTP further said that the Court held that once the President and the Leader of the Opposition have “hammered out” a list of names “not unacceptable” to the President, the list of six persons must then be formally submitted to the President, who in turn must select the Chair from among those names.
“This was exactly what the ‘hammering out’ process between the Government and Opposition appointed working groups achieved in four meetings between 8th and 17th July and which resulted in the acceptable decision of 26th July”, MoTP said.
It added “The President, clearly, sought to engage all stakeholders and has repeatedly committed to the holding of free, fair and credible elections in the shortest possible time.
“The President, clearly, was methodical in his engagement with the Opposition in the selection process up to 26th July when the Chairman was finally appointed”.
It argued that the Stabroek News editorial was “extremely malicious” and that the Editor-in-Chief owed the President an apology for the newspaper accusing him of “temporizing.”
Persaud said there was no malice in the editorial and that the Stabroek News’ position has always been and remains that President Granger could have selected a GECOM chairman from any of the three lists he was presented with but failed to do this. Persaud that no other President had rejected any list of six “not unacceptable” names submitted by the Opposition Leader and that President Granger had done this thrice. He further pointed out that the CCJ had found that the President had breached the constitution in his appointment of Justice Patterson.
