Dear Editor,
In wake of President Donald Ramotar’s announcement of an election date it is clear that this date leaves or provides room for a little scrutiny.
First and foremost the fact that CSEC and CAPE examinations will be held on May 11, 2015, shows that the government is prepared to let students take these important examinations during a period that has historically been one imbued by tension and fear, not to forget that many of the schools that are normally used as polling stations will also be facilitating examinations.
The second issue is that the timespan between the date that the elections were announced and the date of elections surpasses the 90-day barrier stipulated by the constitution, which reminds us that parliament is still prorogued and is yet to be dissolved.
The pertinent question then is: is the election date legit or not? The President could decide to use the continued period of prorogation to summon the National Assembly to budget debates in March after which the elections can be pushed to a later date, or parliament can be prorogued again if possible.
The President can also use the issue of the CSEC and CAPE examinations to push the date of elections a little further down the road. Call this skepticism, but history provides evidence that clearly we cannot pre-empt the decisions or plans of the government.
Yours faithfully,
Clayon Halley
Walter Rodney Youth Movement
