Dear Editor,
The media and opposition elements became frantic when President Bharrat Jagdeo, not long ago, expressed concerns over the court’s ruling on how the scrutineering funds should be distributed. And the implication was explicit, too, in that President Jagdeo should not make observations on judicial matters. Such observations constitute a violation of the notion of ‘separation of powers,’ according to this misguided group of people.
And so we saw several communications pouring in, suggesting that the concept of the ‘separation of powers’ is a sacred cow; meaning that the concept must not be infringed; and that the judiciary also is some kind of holy animal. Indeed, this accepted wisdom is akin to 19th century thinking.
John Locke in his Civil Government (1690), second treatise, introduced only legislative and executive powers; and Montesquieu in his De l’Esprit des Lois in 1748 included the judicial powers. And Montesquieu believed that a country’s freedom is predicated on the separation of the three types of power – legislative, executive, and judicial.
Now we come to the Guyana Press Association (GPA) which implicitly endorses the separation of powers’ doctrine. The GPA has not presented any public analysis of the Gordon Moseley letter that induced the Administration of the Office of the President (OP) to declare Moseley persona non grata at the Office of the President and State House, yet it has begun its protest engagements. All ethics of journalism would require a press association to do the right thing, that is, to analyze the contents of Moseley’s letter on the issues of reproach and disrespect to the Head of State.
Yet with regard to the concerns raised in the declaration of Gordon Moseley as persona non grata at Office of the President (OP) and State House, Denis Chabrol and the Guyana Press Association (GPA) gang, implicit firm believers in the separation of powers’ doctrine, utilized protests to vent their concerns, and in the process violated the separation of powers.
The issuing of the persona non grata status on Moseley is within the realm of the executive, specifically within OP, yet Denis Chabrol and his merry gang recently inflicted their wrath on the legislature, another branch of the political system that has nothing to do with the issuance of the persona non grata edict; even the Ministries have nothing to do with the issuance of this declaration against Moseley.
These are some of the people who took the President to task when he expressed concerns over a Judge’s ruling on how scrutineering funds should be utilized; in that case, these people held on to their belief in the separation of powers’ doctrine, that is, a separation between the executive, legislature, and the judiciary.
And now we have Denis Chabrol and the GPA gang’s walkout at the National Assembly; this action is a clear case of a violation of the separation of powers’ doctrine, that is, between the executive (OP) and the legislature.
If Denis Chabrol, as part of the opposition forces, wants to engage in protest action, then by his own implicit belief in the separation of powers, he should restrict his protest gimmicks to the executive, specifically OP from where the declaration was issued, not the ministries. Denis Chabrol and the GPA gang have violated their own trust and belief in the sanctimonious separation of powers’ doctrine.
Yours faithfully,
Prem Misir
Columnist A Siegel writing for the Huffington Posts asserts quote’ It is impressive that, after all these years of idiocy and bad policy making, that George W Bush is able to shock me as well” end quote. Would this get him banned from the press room at the white house? Certainly not. The President or whoever is taking questions might not call on him, but they have attained a level of political sophistication that renders banning someone for exercising freedom of speech in a democracy as repugnant. So what does this say about Guyana?
Reading the rubbish that is put forth to excuse and justify these assaults on press and individual freedoms in Guyana is getting nauseous. And these people are supposed to be scholars, learned people. Is it any wonder that the country always seem to be moving one step forward and three backward. Examine the reasoning of those at the helm of the ship of state, and you will discover why it keeps taking in water.
Is this what we are paying top taxpayer-dollar to this man for?!
Prem Misir is attempting to resurrect/invoke longdead Europeans to support Bharrat Jagdeo’s indefensible ban on George Mosley. Well, I guess when a man has nothing to say he has to say something, whether it is relevant or not.
I wonder what Misir thinks about the now-living Europeans who allow other Europeans, and even foreigners, to access European government information and own radio stations.
Why do we give articles like these the credit of a reply or even a comment?
This Misir dude is a doctor of what?….Seperation of powers and branches are governmental and parliamentary principles, which democracy demands for service to the people. Joe Sixpack and John Q Public are not confined by these parliamentary principles, thus imposible to violate.
It is utter rubbish to compare the behavior of an elected government and the private media, who answers to its viewing audience, general readership or listeners by way of sales.
Misr,
What is wrong with you! Does the GPA has the power of the state behind them? Does Jagdeo do
!
When Jagdeo violated article 169 (a) of the consitution, where was that seperation when Carl Singh rendered a verdict that would historically continue to be incredible to decent Guyanese.
Only one entity under these circumatance gets to decide the issue of seperation of power and state, and that entity is not even remotely controlled or influenced by the GPA. It is called the govt and it is under the “powers that be!”
I bet you think we never knew that!
Again Misr, you shame yourself!
Mr. Prem Misir should really do himself a favor and stop writing nonsense, no one is listening to his illogical arguments.
The Guyana Press Association under Denis Chabrol does not care about Separation of Powers. It probably did under the late respected Cecil Griffith.
Notice the disparaging reference to BY Misir REPEATEDLY referring to the GPA & its leader as a GANG. “A gang is a group of people who through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage share a common identity. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen. In England the word is still often used in this sense, but it later underwent pejoration. The word gang often carries a negative connotation; however, within a gang which defines itself in opposition to mainstream norms, members may adopt the phrase as a statement of identity or defiance.”
Let him/her that is without sin cast the first stone… Misir we see the stones!
I think Prem Misir has hit the nail on the head the Guyana Press association has a tendency to follow the traits of the Opposition.