Nagamootoo resigns from Constitutional Commission
Minister of Information Moses Nagamootoo has tendered his resignation as a member of the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) with immediate effect. The minister yesterday dispatched his resignation letter to President Janet Jagan and copied it to Chairman of the Commission, Ralph Ramkarran, and PPP General Secretary, Donald Ramotar. When contacted yesterday, Nagamootoo declined to comment on the reason for his resignation. However, in his letter to the President, a copy of which Stabroek News obtained, the minister stated, "In the prevailing circumstances, I am unable to discharge my functions as a member of the Constitutional Reform Commission, which was established by law under Your Excellency's hand." The minister stated that constitutional reform was one of the four legs of the CARICOM-brokered Herdmanston Accord, which was subscribed to by the PPP and the PNC in an effort to effect a political solution in Guyana. The others were: the non-use of accusatory or inflammatory language and a moratorium on public demonstrations; the acceptance of a CARICOM audit of the 1997 ballots as binding; and inter-party dialogue between the PPP and the PNC. "It has caused me great distress that there have been consistent and routine breaches of the provisions of the accord, and this has forced me to conclude that there exists in Guyana, at the present time, no will for political reconciliation," Nagamootoo said. "I have also noted the continuing attempts at destabilisation of the elected government, and the campaign of violence and terror to make the country ungovernable." He added that the repeated threats from PNC leader, Desmond Hoyte, about impending troubles, and more recently, from Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) President Patrick Yarde that 'all hell will break loose' if the report of the Constitutional Reform Commission is not concluded by July 17, 1999, have made it difficult for me to function as a member of the commission in this atmosphere of duress." The minister stated that time and time again he has indicated that his involvement with the CRC has been at great sacrifice to his work as a minister of government. "But I have been encouraged to continue by honest people who want to strengthen democracy by ensuring greater security and justice for all our people," he said. However, Nagamootoo said, he had become frustrated by the lack of will to achieve these objectives, and doubted whether a process of constitutional engineering could create an enhanced political culture.
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