PPP/C seeking to reduce Constitution and paper printed on to Scott toilet tissue- MP Forde

Village Voice reached out to Forde in light of recent appointments of the Police Service Commission and the Integrity Commission. He, along with Attorney-at-law Selwyn Pieters, filed a Fixed Date Application  (FDA) in the High Court on Friday, on behalf of Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

The FDA is asking the High Court to rule against the unconstitutional action of President Irfaan Ali to appoint the Police Service Commission, and the Integrity Commission, without meaningful and substantive consultation with the Leader of the Opposition as is required under Articles 210 (1) and 232 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Forde said his concern about the PPP/C’s action does not only lie in the fact of his parliamentary presence and responsibility, and him being a lawyer, but also for the implications the noncompliance to laws could have for good governance and the daily lives of citizens. “Non-compliance with the law leads to anarchy.”

The Member of Parliament (MP) pointed out that the Chairman of the Public Service Commission by the Constitution is a member of the Police Service Commission, and the Chairman was sworn in on Friday, July 1, 2022, and said to be effectively in that position from May 31, 2021. Further, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission by the Constitution must engage in consultation with the members of the Commission and then with the President.

Forde noted that without due regard for the Constitution, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs & Governance, Gail Teixeira, via letter dated June 29, 2022, informed Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, that the Chairman consulted with members of the Police Service Commission.”No consultation could have occurred given the constitutional stipulation in making the appointments.”

Driving home the gravity of the situation, the MP chided the government for engaging in time travel, more particularly Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall S.C, who should be providing legal not political guidance on the law.

In referencing the constitutional violations, Forde said not only is Nandlall incompetent, bungling every constitutional process, but what he is doing is obscene, vulgar, and total mockery of the law. “The PPP is seeking to render the Constitution and the paper it is printed on useless. We might have well just printed the Constitution on Scott tissue,” he said.