Guyana’s main Parliamentary Opposition has filed legal proceedings against the government for President Dr Irfaan Ali’s “unconstitutional” appointment of members to the Police Service Commission and the Integrity Commission.
The party contends that the appointments were done without “meaningful and substantive consultation with the Leader of the Opposition” as is required under 210 (1) and 232 of the Constitution of Guyana.
A Fixed Date Application (FDA) was filed in the High Court of Guyana today by Opposition Parliamentarian and Attorney-at-law, Roysdale Forde SC, and Attorney-at-law Selwyn Pieters.
In a release issued by the APNU+AFC, the coalition said that “the action of the President to race ahead, indecently, to appoint and swear chairmen and members of those commissions, in substance, constitutes a violation in principle and practice of the law and a betrayal of the political process that allows the voices of the minority [those without economic and/or political power] to be heard and their rights recognized and respected. This has far-reaching implications to the social and economic well-being of all Guyana”.
The rest of the release goes as follow:
In so far as the unlawful appointment of the Police Service Commission is concerned, our fear is that the unconstitutional action of the President could further fractionalize the Guyana Police Force. This facilitates an amplification and aggravation of extant weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the Force. This would compromise the authority of the that state agency to enforce compliance to the laws and erode public confidence in the work of the Guyana Police Force.
In any case, it is reasonable to assume that any conceptual frame or concept of “One Guyana” must by all logics and reasoning include meaningful and substantive consultation with the other half of Guyanese, who did not vote for the ruling party PPP/C, represented by the opposition. But it is clear, very clear, that the mantra of “One Guyana” does not include those, who did not vote or do not support the lopsided, uneven, unfair, and unjust policies of the Ali- led government.
It is also clear that the Ali- led government is not interested in good governance settled in a foundation of transparency, accountability, justice and fairness; the government is satisfied and comfortable with policies and practices that result in benefits to their friends and cronies.
The opposition would not sit idly bay and allow the Ali- led government and the ruling PPP/C to impose their will on the people. We will do everything possible to empower people through information and knowledge to participate in the decision-making process through community and other actions aimed at protecting and improving the quality of their lives and their communities.
