Proposed Constitutional Reform Commission should not be subject to party control

Oct 12, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

After decades of driving Guyanese into migration by their recent events that when mutually challenged the two parties will promptly seek each other for their salvation.  A more constructive test, however, of the new politics may well be the manner in which they approach the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC): either prolonging its suspended animation, or finding new and more constructive forms of inclusive politics.

Will the parliamentary component of the Commission reflect the new makeup of Parliament, or will the two established parties reinforce their mutually tasteless behaviour?

The current CRC was conceived with no regard to the spirit of the Herdmanston Accord, which remains the most realistic fundamental guide to constitutional reform in Guyana. That Commission in 1999 from the start was managed expertly by senior members from both major parties as Chair and Secretary of the Commission. Its civic component benefitted from preparatory Commission related-activities – lectures, discussion series, public lectures, visiting experts.

The intention of the Herdmanston Accord was to ensure that the interests of the sectors were represented rather than particular organizations and considered improper that the ruling party to do more than indicate the number of representatives to be assigned to each sector, leaving it to the sector to determine the manner of choosing its representatives.

The Herdmanston Accord embodies a process for reconciliation and healing of society. In other words, as the process develops the society begins to heal and be reconciled to it. It is not a question of antagonistic elements developing a blueprint to be implemented in future by others. The constitutional reform process itself must be a healing process. Effective control by one party is the core violation of the Herdmanston spirit which sought to re-tool governance mechanisms in ways which encouraged and enabled Guyanese to relate to people who would normally find excuses not to talk to each other.

These hopes were, in part, embodied in the legislation that followed the 1999-2000 CRC to be used in future CRC. In light of this the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) strongly urges that the ruling party amend its proposals both for the composition and scope of the proposed Commission, along the lines of that legislation.

The GHRA recognizes that the culture of civil society in Guyana to date has not reached the levels to which the Herdmanston Accord aspires. As a society Guyana is culturally insecure, not having attained the democratic confidence to trust our legal and administrative institutions to protect us from corrupt or ambitious individuals.    We are all challenged to accept that someone with different opinions can hold the same principles as we do.

Should the Government insist on identifying particular individuals or organizations to serve on Commissions or Boards, they ought to submit themselves to a process of validation by the sector it is intended they represent. Alternatively, depending on the circumstances, the sectors identified for inclusion should take steps to choose their own representatives, ignoring any specific unilateral recommendations the ruling party may make.

At a minimum any individual or organization specifically nominated by the ruling party for membership of the CRC should seek the approval of the leader of the opposition, Namely WIN, in order to rid itself of any taint of partisanship.

The State selecting which civic sectors should provide members, and which individuals should represent them is not only an absurd anachronism in this day and age, it also reflects the distrust of the Government towards non-party involvement in governance activities. Rather than the positives which a more inclusively-structured CRC could generate, the architects of this CRC initiative appear more concerned to be able to say it happened rather than for any benefits it might produce.

Since whatever recommendations emerge from a CRC will need parliamentary approval before becoming law, this level of party control of the Commission is itself unnecessary.

A Commission with a majority of members drawn from the non-party sector, chosen by procedures not subject to ruling party pressure and under an independent chairperson is the only guarantee that a Constitutional Reform process will come to fruition.

Executive Committee

Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA)

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• Constitutional Reform Commission, GHRA, Letters, party control

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