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Retired Justice B S Roy to head long overdue Law Reform Commission
Kaieteur News – According to a press release from the Department of Public Information dated July 17, President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has approved the appointment of the Chairman and Members of the Law Reform Commission as pursuant to the Law Reform Commission (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2021.
The new Chairman of the Law Reform Commission.
The Law Reform Commission is an advisory body to the State and can recommend to the Government of Guyana amendments to existing laws, new legislation, and the repeal of existing legislation. The establishment of a Law Reform Commission is part of a fundamental component of the US$8 million dollar Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded Support for the Justice System Programme. The IDB shall fund the functioning of this Commission for a specified period and the Government of Guyana is expected to take over funding thereafter.
Law reform ensures that the country’s laws are updated at periodic intervals and captures the aspirations, exigencies, social maladies and vicissitudes of the society as it evolves. A Law Reform Commission in Guyana is long overdue and exists in most Commonwealth countries.
The Law Reform Commission Act piloted by the APNU+AFC Coalition in 2016 vested in the President the power to appoint the entire Commission, consulting only with the Minister, and only legally-trained persons were allowed to form part of the Commission. Despite passing the Act however, the APNU+AFC Coalition, failed to appoint the Commission.
When the PPP/C took office in August 2020, it pledged to expediently establish the Commission after it assessed and reviewed the current state of the Act. This process culminated with the Law Reform Commission (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2021 which was assented to by the President on February 16. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, had previously stated the [amendment] Bill will enable broader based representation of important stakeholders in society on the Law Reform Commission. This translates to a wider range of persons being eligible for consideration to serve on the board. This includes persons who possess a legal background as well as those who have at least 10 years of experience in the areas of banking, industry, economics or commerce, social or natural sciences or law enforcement, as well as a representative from the National Toshaos Council (NTC).
According to the release, the nominees have been chosen after consideration of recommendations received from the various stakeholder organisations, consulted pursuant to the provisions of the Law Reform Commission (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2021, and in accordance with the said Act. The approved names are as follows:
• Retired Justice of Appeal B. S. Roy (Chairman)
• Mr. Teni Housty
• Ms. Clarissa Riehl
• Mr. Brian O’ Toole
• Ms. Emily Dodson
• Mr. Roopnarine Satram
• Ms. Deenawatie Panday
The Commission will be operating out of a Government of Guyana building located at Lot 91 Middle Street, Georgetown. A Secretariat for the Commission has already been established and staffed and members of the Commission are expected to be sworn in shortly.
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