The Guyana Bar Association has come out in support of its president, Khemraj Ramjattan, expressing utmost trust and confidence in him, in the wake of his recent expulsion from the ruling PPP over public statements said to be in breach of party rules.
"It is the considered view of the Bar Council that Mr Khemraj Ramjattan has at all times conducted himself with great propriety, and he continues to enjoy the utmost trust and confidence of the Bar Council and his peers," GBA secretary Emily Dodson stated in a press release on Wednesday.
A press release on January 16, signed by Ramjattan as GBA president, had called for a full, frank and independent inquiry as soon as possible to determine the merit of the allegations by self-confessed death squad informant, George Bacchus, implicating Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj. The GBA said that the position taken in that release represented the view of the Bar Council and was arrived at "after careful consideration, consultation and deliberation by the Bar Council members."
The association stated further that "concepts such as freedom of expression, the frank and open exchange of ideas and views as well as the notion of fairness to all are cherished cornerstones of democracy to which the GBA remains committed and will continue to zealously guard and stoutly defend."
The GBA asserted too that if Guyanese are to live peacefully in an open, democratic society, then in all circumstances there must be adherence to the underlying principles of the rule of law.
In the January release, the association had said it stood ready to assist in any way requested to further the process of an enquiry into the death squad allegations, the results of which ought to find acceptance by all Guyanese. The GBA has stated that it is still resolved in its commitment to assist in that regard, the release added.