HGP Nightly News – The executive has no say in who is appointed to judicial office or how Guyana’s courts function, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips said on Wednesday.
“We do not control the judiciary. We do not determine whom they appoint. We do not determine how they function,” Phillips declared.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the swearing-in of six magistrates and five commissioners of title at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Liliendaal.
He said judicial appointments fall within the authority of the Judicial Service Commission, while the executive must respect the constitutional separation of powers.
“The judiciary must remain functionally independent,” Phillips said. “It is a fundamental constitutional concept which we embrace.”
Ocelisa Marks, Nikkisha Logan, Jimelle Joseph, Shareefah Parks, Taneisha Saygon and Caressa Henry were sworn in as magistrates.
Deputy Registrar Alicia Lowenfield, Magistrates Annette Singh, Alisha George and Shivani Lalaram, and attorney-at-law Utieka John took office as commissioners of title.
Phillips drew a clear line between government support for the judiciary and political involvement in its work.
The executive’s responsibility, he said, is to ensure that the courts have the funding, technology and physical infrastructure needed to administer justice. Judicial appointments and decisions must remain outside its control.
According to Phillips, the Government made a greater investment in the judiciary between 2020 and 2026 than during any comparable period since independence.
He cited the construction and rehabilitation of courthouses, the expansion of electronic litigation and the appointment of additional judicial officers.
“Litigation is now almost wholly electronic in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice,” he said.
Phillips also linked judicial independence to economic confidence. Investors are more likely to commit their money where contracts can be enforced and disputes resolved by courts regarded as competent and impartial, he argued.
“Investors, both local and international, are severely influenced by the state of this crucial arm of government,” the Prime Minister said. “After all, the safety of their investments lies with a competent, independent and reliable judiciary.”
Resources, however, are only part of judicial independence. Courts must also be able to decide politically sensitive cases without pressure, and their rulings must be respected even when they go against the Government.
The newly appointed officers enter a system facing persistent demands for faster hearings, fewer backlogs and wider access to justice.
Phillips congratulated them and urged them to carry out their responsibilities with integrity, professionalism and efficiency.
