Dear Editor,
SN reports an “impasse” over Appeal Court candidates today [December 16, 2024]. There is no impasse. There have been scandalous appointments (not candidates) which have been hushed exactly because they are scandalous.
The Bar Association of course is mute because it doesn’t suit their political agenda. The entire legal profession is aware the JSC has met and disgraced itself in confirming Damone Younge – an acting high court judge – as a Court of Appeal Judge. At the time of the decision of the JSC she was still an acting high court judge.
The appointment is disgraceful because she was not appointed on merit but on political connections and loyalty. Look carefully at her judgments where politics is involved and read between the lines.
It is equally disgraceful because the JSC refused to promote its most senior judge after the CJ – Naresh Harnanan, who was appointed in 2011. They also refused to promote the most competent and senior criminal high court judge, Justice Barlow as well as Dr Arif Bulkan who is a sitting Justice of appeal of Belize and a former member of the UN Commission of Human Rights and a current Commissioner of the Inter American Commission of Human Rights. All three of these persons are seriously intelligent and have independent minds which is a criteria for non-selection in Guyana.
Younge has superseded far more experienced and senior judges. She is a junior acting judge who was appointed in 2017 after a career at the AGs Chambers as Public Trustee. She did zero litigation as public trustee. She is not a court lawyer. She has never cross examined a witness in her life. From a cushy desk job to a judge all because of her political connections.
Recall The PPP had previously failed to appoint former Public Trustee Sandra Bart who was in that position for several years but yet they magically appointed Public Trustee Damone Younge because of her political connections
The JSC should all be fired for disgracing themselves and the legal profession and the rule of law in failing to promote high court judges Harnanan and Barlow and appointing Dr Bulkan. How do they think those experienced and senior judges and their families feel? Betrayed? Wounded? Hurt? That’s how deserving persons feel when they are overlooked on their merit and others are promoted ahead of them based on political loyalty and not merit.
The JSC would like the nation to believe that Damone Younge is more competent and more qualified than Justices Harnanan, Barlow and Bulkan – the latter who has a doctorate in law? What a national disgrace it is to appoint Damone Younge.
Who will have public confidence in the JSC now that these are the people we expect to appoint competent judges and magistrates.
Where is the voice of the opposition?
Yours truly,
(Name withheld)
