The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has raised serious concerns ahead of the swearing-in of members of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), scheduled for today, December 31, 2025, arguing that the process undermines Article 207 of the Constitution of Guyana.
The controversy follows a Media Advisory from the Office of the President indicating that “His Excellency, President Dr Irfaan Ali, will administer the Oath of Office to members of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC)” at 11:00 a.m. in the Credential Room, Office of the President.
In referencing that invitation, APNU Executive Member Ganesh Mahipaul sounded an alarm.
He pointed to Article 207 of the Constitution of Guyana, which establishes the Teaching Service Commission and prescribes its composition. Under Article 207(1), the Commission shall consist of seven members. Of these, three members are appointed by the President after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition.
He predicted that the administration would rely on the absence of an Opposition Leader to justify proceeding, saying, “Clearly, President Irfaan Ali will claim that there is no Leader of the Opposition.” However, he maintained that “the absence of a Leader of the Opposition is not the fault of the 29 Opposition Members of Parliament,” but “the direct consequence of the actions of the Speaker of the National Assembly, himself the choice of the Irfaan Ali administration.”
The House Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, is yet to summon a meeting of Opposition MPs to nominate a Leader of the Opposition. The man in line for that position is We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) Leader, Azruddin Mohammed, whom the administration has labelled as a criminal. A bitter rivalry has since erupted with several high-ranking government officials and the US-sanctioned businessman trading barbs.
Mahipaul also criticised envois here, stating, “What is even more troubling is the silence of the international community, which is too often seen wining and dining within the very optic illusion created for them.”
