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May 1, 2016 Source

The Steering Committee on Constitutional Reform (SCCR) yesterday handed over its final report to Prime Minister Moses Nagamotooo, who will spend the next few days perusing it before it is taken to Cabinet for review.

Speaking following the handover, Nagamootoo said that the remit of the committee was to give direction and scope within which the constitutional reform process should take place. He noted that the coalition parties had placed the issue of constitutional reform high on their agenda.

“We hope that the guidance contained in this report, which is the final report, would be able to give us both enough time and space in which we could achieve the… [changes] in our constitution,” he said.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo receives the final report from Convenor Nigel Hughes in the presence of from left: Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Professor Duke Pollard, Gino Persaud and Tamara Khan. Chandan-Edmond and Persaud are members of the Steering Committee while the others would have provided support.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo receives the final report from Convenor Nigel Hughes in the presence of from left: Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Professor Duke Pollard, Gino Persaud and Tamara Khan. Chandan-Edmond and Persaud are members of the Steering Committee while the others would have provided support.

“Today, I am going to try to read this and see what I would be able to do to take it forward, first to the Cabinet and then we would announce the further stages in the process,” Nagamootoo said.

He used the opportunity to express profound appreciation to attorney Nigel Hughes for convening the committee. He made mention of committee member Haslyn Parris who died earlier this year and thanked Professor Duke Pollard, who was present at the simple handing-over ceremony, for his help in seeing the project to finality.

Hughes, in brief remarks, paid tribute to Parris and to the late Sheldon McDonald, who headed the Law Department at the University of Guyana for the significant contributions he had made to the report.

He also singled out Professor Pollard and attorney Stephen Fraser for the assistance they had given to the committee.

Hughes told the media that he is not at liberty to disclose the contents of the report.

He said the committee met regularly on Fridays and finally submitted what he considers to be the “framework of the pathway of the constitutional reform commission” which it is hoped will be established shortly.

The SCCR came into being in August last year with a six-person membership: Hughes, Parris, Professor Harold Lutchman, Geeta Chandan-Edmond and Gino Persaud.

An interim report was handed over to Nagamootoo on December 31 last but the committee had asked for some more time to complete the full report. The committee had initially given a commitment to submit a full report at the end of last month but this was delayed due to the death of Parris.

The interim report had detailed how to balance executive powers with that of the judiciary and the legislature.

Nagamootoo had said last month that his expectation when the final report is out, is that it will identify priorities and timelines because they want the reforms to be completed before another general election.

Describing the interim report as a “good document,” Nagamootoo said it goes into some areas that are very detailed in terms of what ought to be changed in the constitution. “It includes looking at the powers of the presidency, the executive as such…what we had said during the campaign that we are going to tame some of those powers, we’re going to look also at the geographic system whether you have enough representation in the Parliament from geographic constituencies,” he related.

“So they had gone into some detail on how to change the nature of our parliamentary democracy and how to balance the executive powers with the power of the judiciary and that of the legislature,” the Prime Minister added. He said it was a very detailed excursion into a long list of areas.

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Nehru posted:

Now Uncle Tom has another Rag he can use to clean the toilets!!!!

who will spend the next few days perusing it before it is taken to Cabinet for review.

So what will he do after scrutinizing it? He has to get permission from his Uncle Joe to make any suggestions. It's just a token gesture to let the man out of his depression.

FM

Perhaps cosmetic recommendations on proposed changes.

The major and important changes require, as a minimum, the support of two-thirds of the MPs.

Currently, there are 33 and 32 MPs for the PNC/AFC and PPP/C.

Of note, this is not the time when Forbes Burnham miraculously obtained about seventy percent of the MPs; a situation which which was recognized world-wide as fraud; and hence made the changes to the current constitution.

FM
Demerara_Guy posted:

Perhaps cosmetic recommendations on proposed changes.

The major and important changes require, as a minimum, the support of two-thirds of the MPs.

Currently, there are 33 and 32 MPs for the PNC/AFC and PPP/C.

Of note, this is not the time when Forbes Burnham miraculously obtained about seventy percent of the MPs; a situation which which was recognized world-wide as fraud; and hence made the changes to the current constitution.

And some still insist that Burnham's sins don't still affect Guyana.

FM
ksazma posted:
.

And some still insist that Burnham's sins don't still affect Guyana.

Interesting.  The PPP had 23 years to change the Burnham constitution, and did NOTHING!

This isn't the Burnham's constitution any more.  Do you know that this constitution lasted 12 years under PNC rule, and 23 years under the PPP?

Continue to excuse the PPP for adapting some of the worst aspects of the Burnham regime, including his use of violent thugs to intimidate the population.   Indeed the SAME House of Israel thugs!

FM
caribny posted:
ksazma posted:
.

And some still insist that Burnham's sins don't still affect Guyana.

Interesting.  The PPP had 23 years to change the Burnham constitution, and did NOTHING!

This isn't the Burnham's constitution any more.  Do you know that this constitution lasted 12 years under PNC rule, and 23 years under the PPP?

 

Are you deliberately ignoring the fact that major amendment to the Constitution require a 2/3 majority vote bai? The PPP never owned this Constitution. It was and will always be Burnham's evil brainchild.

FM
Mitwah posted:
ksazma posted:
 

And some still insist that Burnham's sins don't still affect Guyana.

The PPP embraced it for 23 years. Jagan gave Burnham critical support.

Irrelevant. The statement is about its evil conception. It requires 2/3 majority vote to change. Burnham's evil objective was to make it virtually impossible to change (I guess he thought he was going to live forever) and as of now, it has been impossible to change.

FM
ksazma posted:
Mitwah posted:
ksazma posted:
 

And some still insist that Burnham's sins don't still affect Guyana.

The PPP embraced it for 23 years. Jagan gave Burnham critical support.

Irrelevant. The statement is about its evil conception. It requires 2/3 majority vote to change. Burnham's evil objective was to make it virtually impossible to change (I guess he thought he was going to live forever) and as of now, it has been impossible to change.

Correct.  LFSB used the military to get the 2/3 votes to amend.  It is unlikely anyone can get this 2/3 democratically except with an agreement by both to do so and get their people out.

FM
ba$eman posted:
ksazma posted:
Mitwah posted:
ksazma posted:
 

And some still insist that Burnham's sins don't still affect Guyana.

The PPP embraced it for 23 years. Jagan gave Burnham critical support.

Irrelevant. The statement is about its evil conception. It requires 2/3 majority vote to change. Burnham's evil objective was to make it virtually impossible to change (I guess he thought he was going to live forever) and as of now, it has been impossible to change.

Correct.  LFSB used the military to get the 2/3 votes to amend.  It is unlikely anyone can get this 2/3 democratically except with an agreement by both to do so and get their people out.

Me thinks you slipping,it's 2/3 vote of members of the parliament.

Django
ksazma posted:
 

 

Are you deliberately ignoring the fact that major amendment to the Constitution require a 2/3 majority vote bai? The PPP never owned this Constitution. It was and will always be Burnham's evil brainchild.

The current constitution will also require a 2/3 vote, yet the coalition gov't is working on amending it.

Can you tell us why the PPP failed to at least attempt to do the same? Who knows a PNC, stuck in the opposition, might have been less eager to support it. 

When the PNC initially developed the constitution they never thought that they would be in the opposition, so gave outsized powers to the president. Clearly after 1992 this was very different.

But we will never know if the PNC would have no longer wanted this constitution, given its changed circumstances, as the PPP fell in love with the Burnham constitution, and adopted it as its own.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

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