President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Monday, January 10th that he has asked Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally, to resign from the post of chairman of the newly-formed Guyana Livestock Development Authority.
The decision came even as the People’s National Congress Reform protested Surujbally holding on to both posts, saying that the issues of constitutionality and conflict of interest are evident.
Speaking at a news conference at his office, Jagdeo said that decision was made to remove any excuses that the PNCR or the other political parties would have for questioning the list or the progess towards free and fair elections. “It’s a loss of a good, solid skill, because he (Surujbally) is probably the foremost authority on livestock in the country. But, just not to give the PNC another excuse, I’ve asked him to resign,” Jagdeo told reporters.
The president pointed out that Dr Surujbally, a veterinarian, headed the Livestock Development Programme in the Agriculture Ministry many years ago. On the question of constitutionality, Jagdeo explained that the position is not an executive one: “He doesn’t get paid, it’s just chairing a board,” he added.
According to the head of state, Surujbally related to him that, before accepting the position, he had written and spoken with the leaders of the parliamentary political parties, and none had objected to his taking up the position.
Last week, PNCR Member of Parliament Amna Ally told a news conference that the party had noted, with dismay, Dr Surujbally’s apparent acceptance of the position of chairman of the new GLDA. She said no one can question the competence and qualifications of Dr Surujbally to perform as chairman of this body, but the constitutional provisions of being chairman of GECOM required him to refrain from engaging in other employment. “Whether or not a distinction can be made between paid and unpaid employment is a matter for judicial interpretation,” Ally said.
According to Ally, this issue recently attracted the attention of the court in the matter of Justice Prem Persaud being chairman of the Public Utilities Commission and chairman of another constitutional body. However, irrespective of the judicial interpretation, Dr Surujbally “ought to have known that 2011 is election year: a year fraught with challenges for GECOM”, the PNCR MP said. “In such circumstances, one must question the appropriateness of accepting such an appointment at this time in the charged political environment of Guyana.”
Ally also said that that opposition party has, moreover, noted inferences in the national newspapers that political parties were consulted and had endorsed Surujbally’s acceptance of the new post. “The PNCR wishes to make it clear that it gave no such endorsement. In any event, at the time the information was made known to the PNCR, the letter of appointment, dated August 16, 2010 and signed by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Robert Persaud, had already been issued to Dr Surujbally, indicating that Cabinet had previously approved his appointment.”
In these circumstances, it was difficult to fathom (why) Cabinet would have made such an appointment before consultation with the proposed appointee, the MP said.
