President Bharrat Jagdeo has rubbished claims he sought legal opinions of his running for a third term at the upcoming national elections, which he said neither he nor his government has any intention of delaying past the end of this year. “As it relates to a third term, I have had many people from my party, from the business community, from some opposition parties lobby me to pursue a third term. My answer is, and has been, uniformly ‘no’. I am not interested in pursuing a third term. It was I who signed the new Constitution into effect. It was my signature that brought in term limits. I have to respect the Constitution that I put in place and so I have absolutely no interest in a third term,” the President declared.
He was at the time speaking at a news conference he hosted at the Presidential Complex in Georgetown during which he addressed several matters of national importance.
Asking the question of why this issue keeps cropping up from time to time, President Jagdeo postulated that two groups of people have raised this: politicians and the media, namely the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News. “And they are all basically in the same camp.”
He said that up to a few days ago, Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin said the President sought three opinions from three legal sources as to whether Guyana’s Constitution could be changed to allow for the President to serve an additional term in office. “This is absolutely untrue. I never sought any legal opinion from anyone,” the President said.
But he noted that in a conversation with Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr. Steve Surujbally, he learned that the Commission sought the opinion of its legal officer as to whether the third term could be possible.
“So any opinion being sought did not come from Jagdeo. It came from the Commission in their planning process. Now, I am very upset with the Chairman and the Commission for doing this, because they should never second-guess me. I have made it clear that this is not an issue, so why should they be seeking a legal opinion whether this is possible?” he questioned.
“If that is what Corbin heard then he is either misled or is misleading,” Mr. Jagdeo said.
As it relates to the two other opinions that he (the President) is alleged to have sought, Mr. Jagdeo had this to say: “I don’t know. He (Corbin) will have no credibility unless he names who these other two legal luminaries are that I have sought these opinions from. It could not be me, because I am not interested. The Constitution is clear so I am not interested in that.”
Indeed time and time before the president has said that he is not interesting in running for a third term but with the PNC desperately need some public attention cause election is months away they comes up with this to mislead the public
ReplyDeleteit has been said over and over by the president of guyana that he is not interested in a third term,yet still there has been articles and reports by the opposition and two of guyana local news paper(Kaieteur and Stabroek news) that the president will be running for a third term.all this state that the opposition and the two news paper names given above has been misleading the public and trying there all in all to get the president to step down comes the 2011 election.maybe they think there chances of winning might increase if another party member is to take up that responsibility.
ReplyDeletethe opposition are not capable enough to stand strong on there own two foot so they are trying different ways,trick and approach to get at the ppp president to continue saying that he is not interested in a third term.
ReplyDeleteThe President is a free and fair man who practices what he preach. These media houses namely KN and Stabroek are up to no good. They see it fit to mislead and misguide the public both locally and internationally in any matter relating to President Jagdeo and his Party (PPP). Over and over President Jagdeo has said and expressed his non- interest in running for this upcoming elections… But by all appearances stick break in their ears or they just plain DUMB...
ReplyDeletethe president have said it out loud before that he is not interested in a third term and the main opposition along with the Kaieteur and Satbroek News paper continue to mislead the public about the current president running for a third term.
ReplyDeletepresident jadgeo was the president who sign the bail about third term,so why would he wants to brake the law and run for a third term.
ReplyDeleteOk glad to know that this is been cleared so i wanda what they gonna come with next to gain some recognition........
ReplyDeleteIn their fight to get some recognition the PNC mislead the public by bring about that the president is seeking to run a next but it clear now that the president have respect for the constitution which he had put in place......it just goes to show that if it was the PNC they would have bent it.......
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