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AG office attracts one-man protest over unassented Bills
With his vested interest in the four stalled Local Government Bills, necessary for the holding of Local Government elections; Social Activist Mark Benschop yesterday mounted a one-man protest demonstration outside the offices of the Attorney General.
Benschop erected one placard carrying the words “Release the Bills, Mr. AG.”
Nineteen years after the last Local Government Elections were held in Guyana, the National Assembly unanimously approved a suite of legislation to pave the way for a fresh round of elections.
Mark Benschop in protest
However, it has been 27 days since the four Local Government Bills were passed, yet they have not been assented to.
The House approved the Fiscal Transfers Bill, the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill and the Local Government Commission Bill. This was after a 12-year period of attempting to reform the process.
The Constitution has provided the president with a 21 days period for his assent to a Bill. The President has to act on or before those allotted days have elapsed and has the right to withhold his assent and return it to the National Assembly. If a Bill is not assented to, it remains ineffective.
Both parliamentary oppositional parties have expressed concern about the status of the Bills and have questioned the legitimacy of the hold up.
Benschop yesterday called for the government to stop the “questionable delays” to have the Bills assented to.
He said that he was made to understand that the Bills “are just sitting on the AGs desk’ and that there is no interest to have them assented and eventually come in to effect.
Benschop said that in his view, this move by the government is a clear and classic display of its arrogance and disrespect to the Guyanese people.
The activist said that he finds it hard to understand, why after having the Bills passed through parliament, they are now held up at the AG’s chamber for correction.
He pointed out that the National Assembly is the sole entity that can, by law, correct any Bill that has been passed and said that what the government is bordering on is illegality.
Benschop said that the government is sending a clear signal that it is not interested in the holding of Local Government elections.
Benschop said that his simple call is for the Bills to be removed from the AG’s desk, sent to the Office of the President and “let Ramotar announce the date for Local Government elections…let’s restore democracy and power to the citizens of Guyana.”
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman had signaled his intention to write the President on the pending pieces of legislations.
He told Kaieteur News that he has to first consult with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, and will then proceed with his endeavor.
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