In the case of the Attorney-General v Richardson, the then Attorney General, Basil Williams, challenged in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) the ruling of the Guyana Court of Appeal striking down as unconstitutional the provision of the Constitution that limited a President to two terms. During the hearing, it was revealed that the constitutional provision was one of the outcomes of a constitutional reform process starting in Guyana in 1999 and ending in 2001, when the implementation of the reforms by the National Assembly by constitutional amendments. The CCJ called for the Report.
Continue reading “SHARED GOVERNANCE HAS NO POLITICAL SUPPORT”WHERE IS MOSES NAGAMOOTOO?
Since Moses Nagamootoo ‘unfriended’ me from Facebook at the end of the elections’ crisis, I have been unable to trace those activities that he may choose to make public to FB friends. I had a minor spat with Moses over his publicly expressed opinion that the interest of the US in Guyana over the election period was because of its fears over Venezuela. I disagreed publicly, even though with the agreements emerging from Pompeo’s (the former US Secretary of State) visit, Moses may well have been right. His response to my sharp disagreement was a distasteful public admonishment to which I responded in kind. He took umbrage and terminated the FB association, not only with me but with my younger son, Kamal, who has always respectfully addressed him as ‘Uncle Moses’ and frequently engaged him in friendly and teasing banter when they met in the corridors of the High Court, an historic arena for conversation among lawyers ranging from low gossip to high legal principles. Kamal had played no role in our dispute. It was sad to lose a friendship of many decades over so trivial a matter, brought on by the heat of politics, which always subsided. It was a friendship which persisted even through the August 1997 period when he, as the shock force of a tiny minority, drove a stake through my nomination by Mrs. Janet Jagan to be the PPP’s presidential candidate for the elections of that year, which had obtained broad support around the table at a meeting of the Party’s executive committee.
Continue reading “WHERE IS MOSES NAGAMOOTOO?”ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED CONSTITUTIONS IN THE REGION
The statement captioning this article was made by the President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the Hon. Justice Adrian Saunders, at the recent Bar Dinner. He mentioned the process of constitution reform that took place in 1999-2000 which resulted in many recommendations that were implemented in 2001. I have written about this before, but a reminder would be useful.
Continue reading “ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED CONSTITUTIONS IN THE REGION”AUBREY NORTON IS AT A FORK IN THE ROAD
The fundamental objective of a political party is to gain political office and implement its policies for the benefit of the country. After months of grueling effort, Aubrey Norton has finally succeeded in overcoming ‘factionalism’ in the PNC by being nominated for a seat in the National Assembly and being elected as Opposition Leader. The word ‘factionalism’ is adopted from an editorial in Village Voice, an internet newspaper that is generally sympathetic to the Opposition. It discussed Norton’s journey from candidate to Opposition Leader.
Continue reading “AUBREY NORTON IS AT A FORK IN THE ROAD”LAW WEEK
Law Week, sponsored by the Guyana Bar Association (GBA), is yet another innovative and imaginative effort by the legal profession to highlight and promote the importance of law and a law-based society in Guyana. Law Week commenced with the ceremonial opening of the April Assizes which involved for the first time a procession of Judges and lawyers behind the Disciplined Forces Parade. This was followed by speeches by the President of the GBA, Ms. Pauline Chase, the Chancellor (ag), The Hon. Yonette Cummings-Edwards, the Chief Justice (ag), The Hon. Roxane George-Wiltshire and the Attorney General, The Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall.
Continue reading “LAW WEEK”