GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Attorney General Anil Nandlall says President Irfaan Ali is expected to appoint the 20-member Constitutional Reform Commission (CRV) in September, assuring the population “it’s not going to be a politically dominated commission”.
Speaking during his weekly television program ‘Issues In The News,’ Nandlall, who is also the Minister of Legal Affairs, told viewers that the process of nominating persons to sit on the CRC would begin shortly with the hope that it would be in place by the end of next month.
“A process has to be undergone, requiring the various sectors to submit their respective nominees for appointment. So that process would have to begin, and once those nominations are received, the President shall appoint, and the President has indicated that those appointments will be made before the end of September,” Nandlall said.
Half of the membership of the CRC will come from the political parties represented in the National Assembly, including the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the main opposition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
The other ten members will be drawn from the Guyana Bar Association (GBA), the labor movement, the National Toshaos’ Council, the private sector, farmers and women, youth, and religious organizations.
“It is not going to be a politically dominated commission. It is going to be half politician and half civil society, and public consultations will drive the work of the Commission,” Nandlall told television viewers.
When established, the CRC will receive, consider, and evaluate submissions for the changes to the Constitution, with the recommendations being submitted to a standing committee for consideration by the National Assembly.
The National Assembly last November passed the Constitutional Reform Commission Bill in the absence of the APNU+AFC, setting the stage for the Guyana Constitution to be reformed through the appointment of a Commission.
The government has also included GUY$150 million (One Guyana dollar=US$0.008 cents) in the 2023-24 national budget to finance the operations of the CRC.
and then 