(Politics 101)- Author and political analyst, Dr Henry Jeffrey has asserted that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration has been governing Guyana on a “rule by law” basis, rather than by the “rule of law”, a situation, he believes, is detrimental to the country.
A former PPP/C minister himself, Jeffrey contends that the regime has been using its status as a majority government to demonstrate its high-handedness and set in play conditions beneficial only to itself.
Joining Dr. David Hinds Tuesday evening on his “Politics 101 with Dr David Hinds” online podcast, Dr Jeffery argued that the PPP/C should not be allowed free rein to do as it pleases.
…“It leads to rule by law, not rule of law, and that is precisely what the PPP has been doing. They’re ruling you by law, not rule of law.
The rule of law means you can make any law and tell me that is the law and I gotta do it…, but you could change that overnight to suit yourself, you don’t have to even live by that law…” He lamented.
Dr Jeffery said the PPP’s high-handedness is aptly demonstrated in its manipulation of the cash grant situation, a promise President Irfaan Ali made while campaigning for the September 1 polls. Jeffery believes that with its upper hand in government, the PPP/C will continue to use such situations to its advantage.
“Any sensible country with this amount of money, building roads, giving all that contracts, any proper democratic government that people have to hold accountable, would want to give people money. Which government you know would go to elections when people are getting poorer in a democracy, when everybody is saying that people are getting poorer? But they can do it because you can’t hold them accountable, because no matter what, their supporters will come out and vote for them.”
Dr Jeffery said the “rule of law” in this case, would see the government putting legal systems in place to allow for a sustained cash grant delivery. Instead, the government is using the situation to keep Guyanese impoverished.
“What you need is a proper system to address the problem in Guyana. And you will not there, because largely, that is going to destroy the whole PPP project of making you poor so that they can get your votes.
“At least they are going to undermine it seriously making you poor, so they could get your votes.”
Another scenario of the government’s ‘rule by law’ practice is its refusal to allow for the election of presumptive opposition leader, Azruddin Mohamed. Jeffrey said the position taken by the administration not to facilitate Mohamed’s swearing in ‘is their rule by law.’
“He [Attorney General Anil Nandlall] made a law and if the law said Mohamed can’t go , then we are not going to… but effectively, he should not be saying that, but they control everything. They control the judiciary, they control everything”
Jeffery said “bribery and corruption” are in all of the processes, but urged Guyanese to “wait and see.”
