Dear Editor,
Over eighteen prominent individuals were submitted by then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to be selected as GECOM’s Chair by then President David Granger after Dr. Steve Surujbally resigned sometime around 2017. It was a very broad spectrum of nominees after wide consultation with the public. All of them were rebuffed by Granger as not being “fit and proper” for the job. The constitution states that the Chair should be someone with a legal background or anyone who the President considers as “fit and proper”. The constitution also specifies that the President must select someone from a list (or lists) of six nominees submitted by the Opposition Leader. The constitution was violated. Granger rejected all of Jagdeo’s nominees (three lists of six) as not fit and proper for the post. They were held in disrepute by the then President because they were not judges or lawyers. Major-General Joe Singh, who previously served as GECOM’s Chair, was also rendered as not being fit and proper for the post.
Granger insisted on a judge or lawyer being selected as Chair. None of the previous GECOM chairs, since the restoration of democracy in 1992, was a judge or a lawyer. Granger did not want any judge, but one he preferred for reasons … we all know what happened from March through July 2020. He nominated and selected his own Chair of GECOM, James Patterson, in violation of the constitution. The High Court (Chief Justice) and the Appeals Court agreed with the President that he could make his own appointment. Justice Rishi Persaud dissented. The CCJ overturned the (2-1) majority ruling ordering the President to follow the constitution. It took Granger weeks to address the CCJ’s ruling. Patterson held on to the post for a week instead of resigning right away on June 19, 2019 after the ruling. Jagdeo presented additional names to Granger beyond the 18 previously submitted. Finally, he and the President agreed upon Retired Justice Claudette Singh as the new Chair. Going by the CCJ’s ruling, all the persons nominated by Jagdeo for the position of GECOM Chair were all fit and proper for the position. Their rejection is a blot on their character. Some are very eminent and distinguished professionals without any political baggage.
Sincerely,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
