WHAT THE CHIEF JUSTICE RULED

The section on Financial Procedures in the Standing Orders of the National Assembly is the same today as it was in 1969. In that year the Standing Orders were amended, no doubt to bring them in line with the provisions of the Independence Constitution of 1966. The Standing Orders had been approved by the same […]

A PETTING ZOO FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS

At Dr. Roger Luncheon’s press conference last week, the approval of funds for the establishment of a petting zoo took only second place to the continuing controversy over the USAID LEAD Programme to which the Government has taken objection. In announcing Government’s no objection to the expenditure of $32.5 million for the petting zoo, Dr. […]

NO STATESMANLIKE DISCOURSE IS HEARD ABOVE THE DIN

President Ramotar has announced his intention to re-examine the Government’s future relationship with the Opposition after its refusal to support the anti money laundering amendment bill last Thursday in the National Assembly. It is believed that the  intention of the President is to further reduce the already limited contact between the two. But the reason […]

APNU MUST EMBRACE MORE THAN A ONE DIMENSIONAL VISION

The anti-money laundering bill (Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2013 No. 12 of 2013) now before the National Assembly should have been tabled several years ago. Both this and the previous Governments were negligent in failing to do so in a timely manner. The Opposition has pointedly criticized this unwarranted […]

A CONSENSUAL MECHANISM

The Report of the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) dated July 17, 1997, recommended at clause 9.9.3.4. that the Chancellor and Chief Justice should be appointed through a ‘consensual mechanism.’ Both the Independence and the Burnham Constitutions had provided that for certain appointments, including the Chancellor (after the Court of Appeal and the post of Chancellor […]