Roysdale Forde, SC, many may recall first came to the attention of the nation for his outstanding performance as a young lawyer, as part of a team led by Rex McKay, SC, who challenged the 1997 General and Regional Elections.
His recent thrust into the public limelight is mainly for three reasons. One, he ran for Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) on Joe Harmon’s ticket in the December 2021 Elections. Two, his witty response to the imprudence of Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, during a parliamentary debate. And three, his recent string of victories in the local court, and where he did not, his dogged pursuit all the way to the court of last resort, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
His has been a busy schedule juggling a heavy legal caseload and doing political work simultaneously. Hard work is not new to Forde. He told Village Voice he was raised to value work and to give of his best in every endeavour.
A surprising fact is that Forde is no ‘johnny come lately’ to politics having been raised in a strong PNC home and at an early age accompanied his mother to political meetings. It was this exposure amongst his elders, he said, that taught him with the right vision the political party can be a force for good in the lives of people.
Village Voice was able to have a conversation with Forde who is also Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs and Labour. Here is what he has shared with us: –
VV: As a member of the Bar, given the negative public perception about the Judiciary, can you describe your experience?
RF: I am aware of the negative public perception about the Judiciary. The segments of the public who perceive the Judiciary in a negative manner are too often dismissed in this society. Many times, the negative perceptions are rooted in their own experiences where the judiciary is perceived as part of their problem, as part of the system to oppress and to perpetuate injustices against them.
My experience has been that to the extent that the judiciary is staffed by real individuals, there is some merit in the negative perceptions. By and large, the Judiciary serves an important role in society and it’s the judiciary’ s duty to do its best to enjoy the confidence of the public.
VV: The cases you have been prosecuting recently delved into the political realm where you challenged the government, notably the AG. How do you see the court’s decisions impacting the political system for the better?
RF: The decisions delivered by the courts in the matters filed recently and the other matters in court are extremely important for our political system.
What the court has done is clarified important points of law, established significant legal precedents for the future, whilst at the same time arresting the slide towards lawlessness and capricious government under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
These decisions are particularly important given the incompetence of the AG who would rather engage in political thuggery than performing as the state’s chief counsel. His approach to the job falls short of the calibre of counsels such as Fenston Ramsahoye, Shahadudeen, and Keith Messiah.
VV: How do you view your successes against the AG who flaunted his attendance at Queen’s College (QC), during a parliamentary debate, in an attempt to diminish your intellectual capacity having not attended the school?
RF: The public has the opportunity to compare the AG’s performance and mine in the courts and National Assembly. It is unfortunate the AG feels compelled to go back more than thirty years to establish his intellectual acumen. It is most unfortunate the AG, having flaunted the high school he attended, his performance to date is not reflective of society’s expectations of persons who attended QC.
VV: You recently had victories representing the Union of Agricultural Allied Workers (UAAW) against the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board (TUR&CB) and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), and members of the Public Service Credit Union against the Management Committee. These are high profile cases for the working class. What advice would you offer to workers and members of the cooperative movement?
RF: I agree the cases you referenced are high profile for the working class. The workers of Guyana and the members of the Cooperative Movement must stay vigilant. The workers and members are being treated with contempt on a daily basis. The Cooperative Movement must not be allowed to be a tool of political control.
VV: You are the Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs and Labour, two areas that deal with the rule of law and ordinary people. Guyana is an ethnically divided society. What thoughts would you like to share with the ordinary man and woman who feel ignored, violated and excluded?
RF: Ordinary Guyanese do not appreciate the Government governing Guyana in a discriminatory manner. The government rather than seeking to empower the ordinary people is seeking to keep them trapped in a cycle of control, dependency and poverty, which will not be ameliorated with a few handouts.
The ability to defend one’s rights is connected to one’s access to resources to defend those rights. The PPP/C is seeking to institutionalise a system where, irrespective of race, the ordinary Guyanese will continue to be ignored, violated and excluded from the wealth and prosperity of Guyana.
The PPP’s ‘one Guyana’ is a shout. It is empty, fake and devoid of inclusivity. This is manifestly evident in the way President Ali and his government are managing or rather mismanaging the resources of this country. One only has to look at the ad hoc way the President is distributing the country’s money as if this style could substitute for a much-needed sustainable national development strategy. For democracy to be sustainable it should encourage and allow each and every citizen to participate in the political processes and represent their interests and concerns.
VV: Do we have a future together as Guyanese?
RF: To me it’s not whether as Guyanese we have a future together, to me it is what sort of future we have together. A stable, equitable, inclusive future is the sort of future that we as Guyanese should seek and demand. Regrettably, such a future is not going to be attained under the PPP and the future we really need and deserve must be demanded by Guyanese.
VV: What keeps Roysdale Forde humble and grounded?
RF: A daily acknowledgment of my parents and family’s sacrifices and love, a commitment to Guyana, and a belief that I can and will make a difference in making this country better.
