‘WIN must have seat on CRC’ …AFC, others say constitutional changes would need the party’s parliamentary votes

Jul 03, 2026 News

---

(Kaieteur News) – While APNU Member of Parliament and Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) Commissioner Ganesh Mahipaul insists that the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party has not been excluded from the constitutional reform process, Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive David Patterson argues that the party’s direct representation on the Commission is essential if constitutional reform is to secure the parliamentary support required to become law.

The differing positions emerged after Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC announced that the CRC has moved to the public consultation phase, prompting WIN Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley to question why her party has no representative on the Commission despite being the parliamentary opposition.

Mahipaul maintained that WIN enjoys meaningful oversight through its representation on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform, which ultimately examines the Commission’s recommendations before they are tabled in the National Assembly.

“This is where the real work takes place,” Mahipaul told Kaieteur News.

He explained that the Commission’s role is to conduct consultations, receive submissions and compile recommendations, while the Parliamentary Standing Committee scrutinises the final report before forwarding it to Parliament.

“The Constitutional Reform Commission has been duly constituted and is functioning in accordance with the Act of Parliament. Its primary function is to facilitate consultations, gather information, and ensure that it is properly consolidated and streamlined, then submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform will then examine and deliberate on the submission before facilitating the onward transmission to the National Assembly,” Mahipaul said.

He noted that the Standing Committee reflects proportional representation in Parliament, with the PPP/C holding five seats and both WIN and APNU holding two seats each.

“In light of this process, I am not seeing, at this point in time, any basis for the conclusion that there is some form of disenfranchisement,” Mahipaul added.

However, Patterson contended that parliamentary oversight alone does not address the more important issue of building political consensus at the Commission level for reforms that will ultimately require a two-thirds majority vote in the National Assembly.

He told Kaieteur News that the AFC supports the principle that the parliamentary opposition should choose its own representatives to serve on the Commission, particularly given the current composition of Parliament.

According to Patterson, when the Commission was originally established, five opposition representatives were appointed, four from the then APNU/AFC coalition and one representing the joinder party.

“This approach was important because any future constitutional reform bill brought before Parliament would require a two-thirds majority for passage,” Patterson said.

He argued that with WIN now holding seats in Parliament, its inclusion on the Commission is critical since its support would likely be necessary to secure the supermajority required to amend the Constitution.

Patterson said representation on the Commission should therefore mirror the proportional formula recently used to constitute parliamentary committees, ensuring that all parliamentary stakeholders are involved from the outset of the reform process rather than only at the final approval stage.

He also disclosed that AFC representative Nigel Hughes resigned from the Commission following the September 2025 General and Regional Elections to allow the current Leader of the Opposition to nominate a replacement.

“The resulting vacancy can be filled immediately,” Patterson noted.

Several other officials, some supporters of the ruling party have also advanced that the government would do well to include WIN on the CRC. “Let them not fool themselves that they can do it without the main opposition, they would find this necessary when the time arrive for the changes to be made for the constitution,” a former PPP MP told the Kaieteur News.

He said it would not require much to make the changes to include WIN. ”

Following his announcement on Tuesday, Nandlall urged citizens to participate in consultation. “The commission has now reached the stage in its work programme where it is now inviting members of the public to make their written submissions,” he said.

According to Nandlall, the process will largely be driven by the public consultations.

“It is your views that will inform the amendments that will emanate, or the proposed amendments that will emanate from this process.”

In a notice published on Thursday, the CRC invited members of the public to submit written proposals for constitutional reform. The notice states that the Commission, established under the Constitution Reform Commission Act 2022, is tasked with reviewing the Constitution and making recommendations to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform for transmission to the National Assembly.

The notice also says the Commission is required to consult the widest possible geographical area and as many persons, groups, communities, organisations and institutions as possible, including political parties, religious and cultural organisations, youth groups, women’s organisations, private sector bodies, professional organisations and the media.

---

• Constitutional Reform Commission, Ganesh Mahipaul, We Invest in Nationhood, win

---