Dear Editor,
I read a letter published in your daily newspaper dated August 10, 2015 written by Mr Manzoor Nadir where he expressed his views on the Rudisa/CIDI matter.
In his letter he categorically stated that Guyana should not honour the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling even though that ruling said that Guyana did not produce any evidence to show that the Environmental Tax, which Rudisa /CIDI paid at the point of importing their beverages into Guyana, was passed on to consumers.
It would be an insult for Guyana go on the recommendations of Mr Nadir primarily because we are now being governed by a law-abiding administration. The CCJ is recognized in Guyana as the highest and final court. We signed on to this in the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Editor, in my opinion, it is the PPP/C government that provided a weak defence at the CCJ which led to the decision. I was told by a distinguished professor at UG who is well versed in law that in court, it is not what is the truth that counts, it is what can be proven.
Mr Nadir needs to recognize that reasonable grounds were not established in defending Guyana’s position and because of that failure Guyana must honour the court’s decision.
The courts are not available to be one sided or partisan but rather to make lawful decisions based on the evidence provided. Some we will win, some we will lose. It all depends on who represents our position.
In conclusion, I therefore denounce the position taken by Mr Nadir who would have wasted the ink in his pen articulating a position that is null and void in its entirety. The CCJ’s decision is final and it must be respected and honoured.
Maybe Mr Nadir should be the Shadow Legal Affairs minister for the PPP/C in the National Assembly.
Yours faithfully,
Ganesh Mahipaul
