Justice Navindra Singh was disrespectful to Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire

Dear Editor,

In relation to the saga around Acting Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire being locked out of the Chief Justice’s Chambers at the High Court after she returned from her acting appointment as Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary upon the return of the ‘substantive’ Acting Chancellor Yonnette Cummings-Edwards, I can hardly find the appropriate words to describe this fiasco. Could you imagine if the Acting Chief Justice is being bullied what will be the fate of the ordinary Guyanese.

This is the height of disrespect for Acting Chief Justice George-Wiltshire, for the Guyanese people, the judiciary, for women and professional women in Guyana. If the judiciary cannot resolve conflicts in more sophisticated ways, we can understand why a businessman could take out a gun and shoot a police officer dead over a cellular telephone issue. The Chancellor Needs to Change the Locks on the Chief Justice Chambers, so that Acting Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire can have Access to the Chambers

Before I get to the oath of office taken by the judges, I would like to dwell on some spiritual aspects and hopefully provide some wisdom for President Ali and his government. This situation has caused many of us to conclude that the government has become so comfortable with being lawless and disrespectful that it can risk doing something like this. However, I think that the government is misreading the calm and quietness in our society, after the September 1, 2025, General and Regional Elections.

After the elections many of us were very disappointed. We knew that it would have been difficult to have a change in government without a broad Opposition coalition, but nevertheless, we were hopeful. A change in government would have brought some major structural changes and more balance in our society. However, some of us who wanted a change, we were counseled by our religious leaders and encouraged that God is still in charge of our destiny. I am going somewhere with this.

Personally, one of my brothers in the church said to me that we have to pray for President Ali, I responded that I cannot pray for the President, because under his leadership, I have loss so much over the past five years, I have suffered so much, and I have seen too much suffering under his leadership. My brother in Christ, said no, God wants us to pray for the president, but I couldn’t, this was in September. Last week Thursday, as I was having my morning devotion, God said to pray for President Ali, I said ‘God I cannot pray for President Ali.

I cannot pray for the president, because under his leadership, I have loss so much over the past five years and have seen so many people suffer under his leadership. God repeated, pray for President Ali. So, I prayed, “Lord I pray for President Ali, in Jesus’ name, Amen”. Then, I was having my morning devotion again last week Friday, and God said again, pray for President Ali.

I responded God it is hard to pray for the President after all the suffering that he has put us through and that he has put me through. Then God reminded me of the scripture 1 Samuel 15:22 ‘To obey the Lord is better than offering sacrifices to him (Obedience is better than sacrifice)’. I then said, ‘Lord, what should I pray for the President’? He said to ‘pray that I (God) will use him (President Ali) to fulfill my (God’s) plan and purpose in your lives and in the lives of the people of Guyana’ and I have been praying for the president ever since last week.

Why did I share this experience? After the elections, I decided that I was going give President Ali space to do what is right by the people of Guyana and for the country, over the next five years. The matter with the Acting Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire being locked out of her chambers, is not what is right President Ali. The reason many of us are quiet is not because we are scared, feel defeated, are too distracted or disorganised; many of us are quiet because we want to give you and your government a chance to do what is right for the Guyanese people and Guyana, over these next five years.

We are quiet because we have handed you over to ‘Time’. Where are all those leaders who were so powerful that they became gods unto themselves, ‘Time’ dealt with them. God will remove the President before he removes the Acting Chancellor Cummings-Edwards. It does not matter what the President or his government do, they cannot remove the Acting Chancellor Yonnette Cummings-Edwards because Proverbs 19:21 states ‘Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord purpose that prevails’. The Lord’s purpose will prevail over the President and the government’s plans for the Acting Chancellor. Whatever, the President has against Acting Chancellor Cummings-Edwards, he needs to forgive her. God has forgiven the president of his multiplicity of wrongs and sins, awful wrongs, and he must also learn to forgive.

On the point of Justice of Appeal Navindra Singh, he has to wait his turn. His turn will come, but this is not the way to do things. Locking the Acting Chief Justice George-Wiltshire out of her chambers is abhorrent. The Oath Justice Singh took says ‘I [name], do hereby solemnly declare that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the people of Guyana that I will faithfully execute the office of [Acting Chief Justice or Justice of Appeal] WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR, AFFECTION OR ILL WILL and that in the execution of the functions of that office

I will honour, uphold and preserve the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana’. It did not say ‘bear true faith and allegiance’ to the government of Guyana or the President of Guyana. The action of locking Acting Chief Justice George-Wiltshire out of her office brings into question the sincerity of this oath. The judges must serve in their functions ‘WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR, AFFECTION OR ILL WILL’.

The Acting Chancellor Yonnette Cummings-Edwards must take control of her judiciary. We the people of Guyana, we the women of Guyana are giving the Acting Chancellor and President Ali up to Monday October 27, 2025 at 12:00 noon to resolve this matter, so that the Acting Chief Justice Roxanne-George- Wiltshire can have access to the Chief Justice’s chambers at the High Court and resume her duties as the Acting Chief Justice with the respect and dignity that she deserves. Failing which, we will be standing on the parapets in front of the High Court on Tuesday October 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., on the pavement on Charlotte Street, between King Street and Avenue of the Republic, and will engage and advocate peacefully, and we will also take our advocacy to the Office of the President.

Yours truly,
Citizen Audreyanna Thomas