Teixeira says opposition MP ‘ill-informed’ on human rights law

Nov 16, 2025 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, on Saturday delivered a forceful rebuttal to a letter by WIN Parliamentarian Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, who accused the Government of failing to constitute the Human Rights Commission (HRC) while promoting human rights training.

Sarabo-Halley, in her November 14 letter, argued that the administration’s human rights workshops “stand in sharp contradiction” to its failure to activate the constitutional body responsible for protecting those very rights. Training, she said, cannot substitute for an independent commission empowered to act on violations. But Teixeira dismissed the argument as “ill-willed” and rooted in “convenient amnesia,” stating that the MP’s letter rests on “regrettable but unsurprisingly flawed premises.” “Training individuals in human-rights awareness cannot substitute for the establishment of an independent, permanent commission empowered to act on violations and to hold state institutions accountable. If the Government is truly committed to human-rights advancement, it must begin not with workshops and certificates, but with respect for the Constitution itself,” the Opposition MP said in her letter. (https://kaieteurnewsonline.com/2025/11/14/governments-commitments-to-human-rights-vs-its-failure-to-constitute-the-human-rights-commission/)

Responding to Sarabo-Halley, Minister Teixeira said while public discussion on human rights governance is always welcomed, the argument presented by the author of the letter is not only “ill-willed, but also one of convenient amnesia about the facts. It rests on a series of regrettable but unsurprisingly flawed premises.”

The letter, Teixeira stated misunderstands both the purpose of human rights education and the constitutional mechanics of the HRC. “Contrary to the ill-informed view of the author, human rights education is not and has never been a symbolic activity under any national, regional or international standard, nor is it a tool to score cheap political points. It is a core obligation under international human rights principles and a crucial component of a functioning democratic society. Training is an essential tool in building the very culture of transparency, informed participation, and public scrutiny that is required to hold governments, Members of Parliament, civil society, and all citizens accountable,” the Minister argued.

Building knowledge among a broad base of Guyanese, the minister says strengthens the very ecosystem that the collective government (executive, legislature and judiciary) serves. She further explained that human rights training ensures that duty-bearers and all citizens understand their legal obligations; that citizens know how to claim their rights and carry out their responsibilities so that the wider governance environment remains vigilant and informed.

This work continues precisely because it supports the long-term effectiveness and legitimacy of Guyana’s human rights architecture which neither starts nor stops at the Human Rights Commission, she noted in the statement. “I reaffirm that education, institutional development, and constitutional reform processes can and shall progress with a more informed citizenry,” the minister expressed.

Further, Teixeira mentioned that the MP’s claim that the Chairpersons of the other Commissions must elect the Chairperson of the HRC, is “blatantly incorrect and a reflection of a lack of understanding” of Guyana’s supreme law.

“Under Article 212N (3), the Chairperson is appointed by the President from a list of six persons not unacceptable to the President, submitted by the Leader of the Opposition (a similar provision exists for the appointment of the Chairperson of GECOM). Thus, the HRC Chairperson is not elected by the Chairpersons of the constituent Commissions as was incorrectly posited,” the minister explained.

Teixeira pointed out that the absence of a Chairperson of the HRC could not be interpreted by any rational person as evidence that education initiatives should be halted. In short, the establishment of the HRC through a constitutional process has absolutely no relation to the implementation of a human rights education initiative, she added.

“The author’s approach, driven either by a lack of knowledge of the constitutional architecture of Guyana or most likely by political theatre, does a disservice to the hundreds of persons who have already benefitted and will continue to benefit from this course,” the minister blasted.

Strengthening the culture of human rights requires multiple simultaneous actions, capacity building, public awareness, and institutional reform, she addressed. “I shall not allow misinformation or political grandstanding to diminish the credibility of this national effort. My Ministry nor the Government will be deterred from advancing democracy and good governance through its many initiatives and measures to ensure that all Guyanese benefit from its programmes and policies. This includes human rights education efforts which ensure the inclusion and participation of a broad base of Guyanese participants and highly qualified international and local facilitators,” the Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister disclosed.

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• Gail Teixeira, human rights law, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, win

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