GREENIDGE’S ATTACKS ON JUDICIARY CONTEMPTUOUS
I READ with great interest the unfortunate and contemptuous statement made by Carl Greenidge, a senior member of APNU, and the response made by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, and wish to add my quota to the rather interesting dialogue.
I think the former Finance Minister was way off target, and maybe in contempt, or bordering contempt, outside the face of the court for the brash, unwarranted, wrongful and unjustified attack on the country’s judiciary when he said: “It leaves us with a judiciary keen to intervene at the behest of the Executive, and handing out decisions that are damaging and inconsistent with the Constitution and its roots.”
He also alleges that President Ramotar appoints judges alone. What rubbish!
Greenidge is not an attorney, and has limited legal skills, and should have consulted with lawyers in his party before making such a damaging statement.
I think APNU leader David Granger should ask him to withdraw his unwarranted and embarrassing statement.
How can he make such an assertion that the Government is eroding the independence of the judiciary, which is far from the truth, when a party in which he was a senior minister was bigger than the Government? The Government was an arm of the PNC, and the party flag was being flown at the High Court building.
I remember this very well while I was a reporter of GBC, when my friend and late colleague Wordsworth Mc Andrew blurted out that he could not work for the PNC and as a result quit and left for the United States, where he died a few years ago.
Greenidge should be experienced enough to know that there is an appeal process, and if accused persons or litigants are not satisfied with decisions meted out by first instant judges, they could move to the Guyana Court of Appeal, and finally the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Guyana is the first country in the region which abolished appeals to the London-based Privy Council.
I am happy to read that the learned Attorney General will look into the damaging statement to ascertain whether or not appropriate sanctions can be imposed to protect the judiciary from similar scurrilous attack, so that judges can administer justice without fear or pressure.
OSCAR RAMJEET
source: Guyana Chronicle
