LOCAL DEMOCRACY – AS DISTANT AS ‘A PALE BLUE DOT’

In the 47 years of Guyana’s post independence history, Guyanese have had the opportunity only once, in 1994, of having freely elected our local leaders. Local government elections were held twice after 1966, once under the 28 year rule of the PNC in 1974 and once under the 21 year rule of the PPP in […]

NO STATESMANLIKE DISCOURSE IS HEARD ABOVE THE DIN

President Ramotar has announced his intention to re-examine the Government’s future relationship with the Opposition after its refusal to support the anti money laundering amendment bill last Thursday in the National Assembly. It is believed that the  intention of the President is to further reduce the already limited contact between the two. But the reason […]

THE SEASON OF ADMISSIONS

Unlike any other profession, law is practiced in the glare of publicity and this is the season of admission of lawyers to practice their profession in open court. Lawyers obtain their Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad in September every year after two grueling years of study. This course of […]

A CONSENSUAL MECHANISM

The Report of the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) dated July 17, 1997, recommended at clause 9.9.3.4. that the Chancellor and Chief Justice should be appointed through a ‘consensual mechanism.’ Both the Independence and the Burnham Constitutions had provided that for certain appointments, including the Chancellor (after the Court of Appeal and the post of Chancellor […]

RESTRUCTURING AND REORGANISING THE PPP

That the current structure of the PPP is no longer effective, accountable and democratic is clearly indicated by the fact that  since I became a member of the PPP’s leading bodies in the early 1970s, none of these bodies have ever had a financial report, despite the fact that a Secretary for Finance is elected […]