“Constitutionality has gone through the window. We now have a government that continues to rule regardless of that fact that there is no legal pillar upon which it can stand.” So said prominent attorney at law, Sanjeev Datadin during an interview with Guyana Standard earlier today.
Throughout today’s interview, Datadin steadily lamented the fact that three months after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the Bharrat Jagdeo-sponsored No-Confidence motion was validly passed, the President is still to, at the very least, set a date for constitutionally mandated elections.
Datadin opined that when one considers his recent actions, President David Granger has, from all indications, become a “gentleman dictator.”
The lawyer said that it is totally “unacceptable that very clear constitutional provisions are not being followed by our leaders. But the President presents himself as a gentleman, a man of the law. But he hardly speaks to the press and his actions are in keeping with that of a man who has no regards for the written law.”
Just today, President Granger was quoted saying that he is anxious for elections to be held. The President said that the interim status has placed significant restrictions on his government and that that it “uncomfortable.”
Further, the President said that he will move swiftly to set a date for elections as soon as he receives advice from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
When Guyana Standard made reference to those comments, Datadin suggested that it is merely a smokescreen. He said too that those comments, when compared to the President’s actions in delaying elections, fits perfectly into his definition of a “gentleman dictator.”
Datadin said, “This is what I am talking about. He says one thing and does the other. He seems kind and gentle but in reality, he is going to do exactly what he wants apparently not realizing the dangers. ”
Datadin stressed that the President’s actions would cause logical thinkers to arrive at the conclusion that government players are trying to apply convenient and outlandish interpretations to the constitution so that they can continue to do as they please.”
He said that the President’s actions put Guyana at risk regarding business and the way that nation is perceived by the international community.
The lawyer was keen to note that even as the government continues to function at a great degree of normalcy, “and as they prepare to build roads and so on, there is no written provision in the constitution or general law to which they can point to for legitimacy.”
