Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers last Friday appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on two charges of misconduct in public office and was granted bail to the sum of $300,000. Ms. Myers is an employee of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and could likely be a material witness to the election petitions filed in the High Court. Her detention and charges raise questions about the judgement of the Police imposing itself in the election process if not to undermine the petitions and seek to discredit the testimony of those who could appear before the Judge in the High Court.
When Ms. Myers invited herself to the Police Station earlier this week- after being advised the police were seeking after her for questioning into allegations of electoral fraud- in the presence of her lawyer, Ronald Daniels, she exercised the right to remain silent. The police responded by detaining her though they denied it had anything to do with her exercising this basic universal right. Given the Force’s past performance in handling and detaining employees of GECOM into their election probe, they will find it hard to convince a skeptical society Ms. Myers being held in the lock up had nothing to do with state sanctioned police abuse to detain a witness for up to 72 hours without being charged. The Force will find it hard to convince theirs is not a strategy to intimidate and undermine the work of the High Court on political directive.
Guyana’s legal system is built on the practice of common law principles. These principles include the right to remain silent. This right is not only applicable to persons being questioned in criminal proceedings, but also to those suspected of a crime, those questioned in civil proceedings and in non-curial contexts. In every civilised society where there is a functioning jurisprudence that respects the rights of citizens and upholds law and order, the right to silence will not be applicable to some but all.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government continues to make good on its threat to come after workers of GECOM and is using the Police as one means of doing this. The Guyana Police Force, whose motto is “Service and Protection” is acting unperturbed in its failure to practice good policing and abide by centuries-old common law principles. When society remains silent in the face of these travesties, the bottom line is, we are signaling to the government and police it is acceptable to violate citizens’ rights.
Abandoning common law principles in the investigating process is an abandonment of law and order the Police have to rely on if they desire the pursuit and attainment of justice, the confidence of the people. Election allegations continue to see basic rights violated by the police without corresponding public condemnation. This presents a clear and present threat to law and order, to our legal system.
Women comprise the majority in our society. Should they remain silent this not only adversely impacts them as a group but their children, family and society as a whole. One does not have to know or like Ms. Meyers and/or the other female employees of GECOM who are being targeted by the police and have had their rights violated. One just has to believe in the respect for the rights of all, to recognsie that a violation of the right of one is a violation of the right of all.
Society remembers only too well local groups’ condemnation of citizens who criticised statements made by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley during her role in the Guyana’s election. Said voices continue to remain silent when their fellow womenfolk are being assailed and assaulted by political leaders and the police. Today it is Ms. Myers. Tomorrow it could be you or someone close to you. Break the silence. Say something in the interest of protecting the rule of law.
