Govt will not control Constitutional Reform Commission’s work- Nandlall

Last Updated on Monday, 7 November 2022, 13:19 by Denis Chabrol

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Monday sought to assure Guyanese that government would not control the 20-member broad-based Constitutional Reform Commission and process geared at modifying the already amended supreme law of this country.

“Government will not attempt, in any form or fashion, to influence the work of the Commission. The Bill, which becomes law, however, mandates the Commission to do public consultations across the country. That is the only mandate they have in terms of how they will regulate their business,” he said. The bill contains voting rights and a quorum.

He was piloting the debate and passage of the Constitutional Reform Commission Bill that he said was already the product of consensus as the opposition did not tender any fundamental objections to that law though it did not participate fully in sittings of the bipartisan parliamentary Constitutional Reform Committee. “Having nothing to contribute, they eventually gave their support to our draft of the report without any amendment,” the Attorney General said.

The Bill, which was tabled in the National Assembly on July 28, 2022, envisages that the Commission is also expected include 10 members would be drawn from the combined government and opposition and the remainder from members of civil society, trade union movement, Guyana Bar Association, women organisations, farmers organisations, religious community, race and the business community. “We could have easily taken a majority but we are committed to equal representation on the Commission so it’s equal- five government, five opposition,” he said.

A budget is to be provided for what Mr Nandlall admitted would be a lengthy process that would include countrywide hearings.

The President would appoint the Chairman and the other organisations would be asked to nominate their representatives.

The Attorney General castigated APNU+AFC for failing to forge ahead with constitutional reform by setting up a commission within 100 days of winning the 2015 general and regional elections. Under then Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, a steering committee under the chairmanship of then Alliance For Change (AFC) executive member Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes had prepared a report as a first step towards constitutional reform. “Mr Speaker that was the end of the report and constitutional reform. That report never saw the light of day,” Mr Nandlall said.

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) did not participate in Monday’s debate on the Constitutional Reform Commission, having walked out earlier because the House Speaker Manzoor Nadir disallowed debate on Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s motion to amend the law and constitution to clean the voters list.

Guyana’s Constitution, which was promulgated in 1980 at the height of what had been widely regarded in some circles as a rigged referendum, was first revised between 1999 to 2001.

Barbados, a newly-minted Republic, is currently undergoing island-wide consultations on constitutional reform.