News Source Guyana Reports : Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade, who was defeated in his bid for the Presidency of the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) on Friday, has announced his intention to challenge the election results, alleging that several of the association’s rules were violated during the process.
Wade lost to Attorney Arudranauth Gossai at the GBA’s 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was held via Zoom and which the association described as having recorded the highest membership attendance in its history.
Speaking to News Source, Wade said the process got off on the wrong footing from the outset when Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin moved to have the association’s rules suspended prior to the voting.
Wade further contended that many of those who voted are government-employed lawyers not engaged in private practice, which he argued is in breach of the association’s membership rules. He cited Section 3 of the GBA’s rules, which states that only attorneys engaged in private practice are eligible for full membership, while all others are entitled only to associate status, limiting their participation to educational and social activities.
He also raised concerns about transparency, saying he had been requesting information about the voters list since before the election without receiving a response. Adding to his frustration, Wade said the results were announced only as percentage averages, leaving him unaware of the total number of voters or the exact vote count each candidate received.
“The first thing that they did was an application from Sanjeev Datadin to suspend the rules. On the issue of the voters list I have been sending out emails since last week asking for this information and it was never made available,” Wade said, noting that it was the first time the meeting and voting had been conducted in such a manner. He added that despite being unable to confirm the exact number of eligible voters, he was confident he had the numbers to win.
Meanwhile, the GBA announced its newly elected council. Gossai, who previously served as Second Vice-President, will now assume the Presidency. Former President Kamal Ramkarran was elected First Vice-President, and Teni Housty was elected Second Vice-President. Yashmini Singh was re-elected Secretary, Samuel Glasgow was elected Treasurer, and Mohanie Anganoo was elected Assistant Secretary.
Also elected to serve on the Bar Council were Senior Counsel Robin Stoby, Jamela Ali, Horatio Edmondson, Rea Harris, Chevy Devonish, and Ron Motilall. The election was overseen by Returning Officer Rajendra Jaigobin, with the entire process conducted over Zoom.
