APNU welcomes referral of sexual offenders registry bill to select committee

Last Updated on Thursday, 11 June 2026, 22:34 by Writer

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Thursday welcomed government’s “belated decision” to send the draft sexual offenders registry bill to a bipartisan select committee.

“This is a tacit acceptance that there was not enough consultation in the first place. But going the route of the Select Committee is the next best option in pursuit of a wider consultative approach,” the APNU Shadow Minister of Human and Social Services and co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance, Dr David Hinds, said in a statement.

Word of the government’s decision to do so followed public outcry over the bill stating that the register would be closed.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Human Services Dr Vindhya Persaud almost simultaneously said on Facebook on Wednesday that the Cabinet always favoured an open registry, noting, however, that the law was drafted based on public consultations, but the amendment to the Sexual Offences Act to provide for the Sexual Offenders Registry would be sent to the select committee.

Several commenters differed on the pros and cons of an open or closed registry in response to many questions about where and when those consultations were held.

The Ministry of Human Services said they were conducted by consultant Dr Kim Kyte.

APNU saluted those who raised their voices in protest over some provisions in the proposed bill.

That party hopes that the government’s decision to dispatch the bill to a bipartisan House committee “is not a rare exception by the government but the beginning of a new respect for participatory democracy.”

The WPA co-leader also hoped that the deliberations in the Select Committee would “bear good fruits (sic)” and that the finished bill would reflect the broad spectrum of public opinion and satisfaction.