Attorney-at-law Christopher Ram, following the rulings of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the four appeals against government, is of the belief that elections can be held within 60 days, even with a “proper Claims and Objections exercise”.
“I am convinced that proper elections can be held within sixty days with a proper Claims and Objections exercise. Perhaps he [President David Granger] has been badly advised by the now unlawful Chairman of GECOM who as a former Judge must know that he occupies the chair unlawfully, and has only one decent option,” Ram said in a press statement.
Referencing the CCJ’s ruling that the parties involved in the matters return to court on June 24 to come to a consensus on the way forward, Ram, referring to an address made by President Granger following the ruling, said that his statement “signaled a willingness if not intent, to ignore the Court’s ruling on GECOM’s Chair and to rely on that same Chairman’s advice”.
In the address, the President said that it is essential that fair and credible elections are held and that this could not be achieved via the current voters roll. He noted that GECOM Chairman, Justice (retired) James Patterson, had said that elections could be possible in November this year following house-to-house registration and that he would now await a recommendation from GECOM for a specific date to then issue a proclamation for general elections to be held.
“The Court throughout the hearing of these appeals continuously hinted at the need for dialogue between the Government and Opposition and has affirmed this in its judgments. Even at, or more so now, citizens appeal to President Granger to seize this unique moment to heed the call of the CCJ and through inspired leadership, put our country first, reach out to the Leader of the Opposition, restore democracy and move our country forward,” Ram advised.
The attorney and chartered accountant opined that the CCJ’s judgment on the matter enhanced the standing of the judiciary, noting that he had been confident that they would rule in favour of the litigants.
“As a litigant in one of the No Confidence cases, I was always more than moderately confident that the Court would rule as it did. It was a victory for democracy, the rule of law and the Constitution of Guyana. It was also a vindication of the decision that Guyana should subscribe to the regional Court whose reputation has no doubt been enhanced by today’s rulings. I wonder too whether the APNU+AFC was really convinced of the justice of their case or whether it was not, once again, a refusal to give up power as took place in 1978 and 1990 and reluctantly in 1992, all under the PNC Government,” the statement read.
“Once again, Granger and his Government have shown how thin their veneer of democracy really is, willing to abuse the Court process while ignoring the Constitution. Whatever its faults, the Constitution has shown that it can rein in autocrats, dictators and bullies. Showing complete disregard for the National Assembly as only they can, the APNU+AFC have squandered valuable time and wasted vast sums of money since the vote on December 21 last year. They have used that time to pursue a hopeless case, engaged in improper practices and wasteful and questionable expenditure, including the ministerial excursion to the CCJ in April, rewards for themselves, families, friends and party supporters, even as they ignored large segments of the population,” it added.
He thanked his two lawyers Kamal Ramkarran and Devindra Kissoon who he said worked pro-bono.
