President David Granger yesterday said that he will dissolve Parliament when the time comes but that it will remain in session and if necessary can be convened.
He was yesterday asked at the Ministry of the Presidency about his position on the resignation of his Cabinet, a matter that the opposition took to the Court. He said his government’s general position is to obey the ruling of the court and if they feel that the ruling is flawed they always have the option, which they have done in the past, of going to a higher court.
He contended that the country cannot be without a government or a President and his Government’s interpretation of the constitution is that he remains the President until another is voted in after the general elections, a date for which has already been set.
According to President Granger they have obeyed the orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice in that they have abided with the conventions of an interim administration.
“So we are behaving ourselves, we are not engaging in projects, I haven’t travelled overseas, apart from my health examinations, we are not planning a budget, by this time we would have completed our budget. So we are an interim administration and we are observing those regulations,” the President told reporters.
However, he said the country cannot be without a Government and he cannot be removed unless elections are held.
As it relates to the National Assembly, the President said that the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, has made it clear that he has no intentions of returning to Parliament. He said he has not prorogued the National Assembly nor has he dissolved Parliament and he is awaiting the advice of Attorney General Basil Williams on the date for the dissolution for Parliament.
“We naturally have to keep our options open to ensure that in the event that there is an emergency the National Assembly can deal with that emergency, whether financial or other emergencies,” the Head of State said.
