A senior official of the People’s National Congress (PNC) Friday dismissed suggestions that the coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition government is illegal and accused Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo of wanting to gain power “at all costs”.
Aubrey Norton, an executive member of the PNP, which is the biggest partner in the coalition government of President David Granger, told a news conference that Jagdeo had been making statements regarding the government that cannot be substantiated.
“One understands the nature of the Opposition Leader. First of all, the Opposition Leader is in a place where he hopes to get power at all costs. The government is clear in its head and it’s operating legally,” Norton told reporters.
He reiterated statements by the government that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is the only body with “jurisdiction over when elections are called and the minute the Elections Commission says to the President that we are prepared and ready and we have a credible list, there will be elections”,.
Norton said that Jagdeo was seeking to sow confusion in the country regarding the current political environment and that the PNC welcomes Wednesday’s ruling by the High Court regarding the house to house registration exercise.
Jagdeo and his People’s Progressive Party (PPP) have been calling for an end to the registration exercise and also wants the fresh regional and general election as mandated by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the country’s highest court, to be held no later than September 18 this year.
The CCJ said in upholding the ruling that the motion of no confidence that had been passed in the Granger administration last December, said however it could not insist on the polls being held on any specific date and instead urged all stakeholders to work within the Guyana Constitution to ensure the polls are held.
Under the Guyana Constitution, the elections should take place 90 days after the vote of no confidence is passed. The Constitution also makes provision for an extension of the period based only on a two-thirds majority vote in the Parliament.
Jagdeo has said the PPP welcomes the High Court ruling that house to house registration was not illegal or unconstitutional in itself but noted that the Court had reminded GECOM that it could not operate as if it was a normal elections cycle.
President Granger has said he would name the date for the election once he gets the assurances from GECOM that it is prepared to hold the elections.
“The house to house registration is a legal process that permits the people of Guyana to register. It will ensure that there is a new credible list that will result in credible elections”, Norton said, urging all Guyanese voters to ensure they are registered.
Meanwhile, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), a member of the coalition government has called on the PPP to agree to an extension of the deadline by which general elections ought to be held following this week’s High Court ruling.
“The WPA calls on the PPP to acknowledge that the game is over that its attempt at railroading the judicial process has been defeated. It must now return to parliament to facilitate the desired extension of the life of the government. Refusal to do so, would further tarnish that party’s image and render it unfit to lead Guyana,” the WPA said in a statement.
It said all parties should respect the High Court ruling as it commended the Acting Chief Justice, Roxanne George Wiltshire for “her very balanced and reasoned conclusions.
“We urge GECOM to take on board the court’s recommendations and proceed with the preparation for elections in a timely manner. WPA again wishes to congratulate GECOM for not bowing to pressure and for keeping the HtH (house to house ) registration timeline within the CCJ’s guideline,” the party said.
