Guyana’s main political parties will only be interested in constitutional reform to transform our ethno-political system, if a sufficiently large portion of the electorate demands it. Consider the following: In free and fair elections, the PPP will obtain either the votes of the majority or of a plurality because the Indian Guyanese population is the […]
Category Archives: Constitutional Reform
STILL TIME FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
President Granger’s address to the National Assembly completely omitted any reference to constitutional reform. Since a budgetary provision was made, the Guyanese people were entitled to be told what legislative initiatives to expect from the Government.
THE OSTRICH SYNDROME
Those who advocate changes in the composition and method of selection of the members of the Elections Commission suffer from the ostrich syndrome. They have their heads, like the proverbial ostrich, buried in the sand. They ignore that elections in Guyana are the victim of two enduring Guyanese realities – a history of election rigging […]
FOOD AND BOOZE IN PARLIAMENT
A report on the cost of food for each sitting of Parliament, being $700,000, has triggered a particularly sharp debate about the cost and the alleged supply of alcohol. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, confessed that he consumes the food. He said: “I eat the food. What do you suggest? I don’t […]
DEMOCRACY AND JUSTICE PREVAIL NOW FOR THE THIRD PARTY
During the lifetimes of Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan, the PPP twice, unanimously, decided to support a two-term presidential limit. A PPP delegation in 1995/6 proposed to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Reform that the constitution should be amended to provide for a two-term presidential limit. In 1999/2000, the same representation was made by […]