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Govt. slams opposition for non-participation in Parliamentary Committee

Nov 05, 2010 News

…as Legal Practitioners law amended

Debated in December last and deferred to a Special Select Committee, the report for the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Bill was presented yesterday to the National Assembly and was passed without the support of the Opposition.
Chairperson of that Special Select Committee, the Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand, in her presentation to the House, said that the Bill was scrutinized at the Committee level and the report reflects the minutes of the meetings as well as the changes made to the Bill.
She spoke of the input from the Bar Association as well as the many law firms they solicited views from, and the former Chief Justice (ag) Claudette Singh.
Alliance For Change Chairperson Khemraj Ramjattan who was the selected member of that party to sit on the committee chose not to attend any of the meetings and gave as his reason the fact that he did not want to participate in a “farce”.
He said that he knew from the inception that none of his suggestions would be taken on board.
Ramjattan said that with the exception of one clause – requiring lawyers to have a practice certificate from the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority – he was supportive of the Bill.
He said that with the clause in place he could not support the Bill in that form.
Basil Williams of the People’s National Congress Reform, in his presentation to the house, said too that he did not support the Bill, and pointed to what he called a lack of consultation.
He said that several requests made by the PNCR, such as for a memorandum documenting the previous consultations, and this was ignored.
However Manickchand in her rebuttal pointed to the same report that she tabled where the minutes document the fact that the same document that he was referring to was circulated for the members of the Committee.
Attorney-at-law and Government Member of Parliament, Anil Nandlall, elaborated extensively on the consultations held with the Bar Association, to the point that they had presented recommendations.
He said that even before the Bill reached the House there was extensive consultation.
Manickchand also chided the opposition Parliamentarians saying that they shirk their responsibilities and delay the work of Parliament only later to turn around and blame the Government.
She pointed to one instance where the opposition had asked for a delay for further consultation when the Sexual Offences Bill was in committee stage.
She said that there were several protests calling for the Legislation to be put in place, but the PNCR never said that it was them who had asked for the delay.
Following the back and forth bantering the report was adopted and the Bill later put for approval by Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Charles Ramson. The Government majority was enough to have the legislation approved.

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