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Mr. Burke’s silence in this regard is puzzling
DEAR EDITOR,
Firstly, the Guyana Bar Association must be commended for taking a position on indications of a possible appointment of a Chancellor and Chief Justice of Guyana by President David Granger, without full compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, as the Guyanese people have seen in other cases.
With that said, the recent comments made by Mr. Rickford Burke merit a response. It is interesting that while he has criticised the Guyana Bar Association for making a move that helps to guard against a possible unconstitutional action, he has been silent on comments (or more accurately a position taken) by President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Dennis Byron – comments that can be viewed as an emboldening factor for the David Granger-led regime.
At a Guyana Bar Association event, last November, the CCJ President stated that if the right framework to appoint the Chancellor and Chief Justice was not being used, now would be the opportune time to make regulatory or statutory changes. He noted that there may be a basis for judicial intervention – that the most appropriate authority for resolving this situation is the court system.
The CCJ President essentially took a position on the matter – one that was stated a mere several weeks before President Granger named his nominees for the post; and it can be viewed as a position that emboldened – as I said earlier – the Granger Government.
The timing and the position taken by the CCJ President is curious, since in the years he was head of the CCJ, under the former administration, he was silent on the lack of substantive appointments of a Chancellor and Chief Justice of Guyana’s judiciary – the fault of this state of affairs lying squarely at the feet of the former PNC and APNU Opposition groupings, according to reports that have been in the public domain for over 10 years.
The timing and position taken by the CCJ President is also curious, given his frequent visits to Guyana and comments made about ‘close’ relations between Sir Dennis and the Coalition Government. Also curious is that the Sir Dennis has never clarified his role.
It could be argued that Sir Dennis’ comment amounts to political interference. Here is where Mr. Burke’s silence is puzzling, since he seems intent on making arguments about the Bar Association. I say all of this to say, simply, that if arguments are made about the credibility of an individual or group, the critic must at least be credible and consistent himself.
Regards,
Todd A. Morgan
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