The National Assembly Thursday adopted the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Appointments to address matters relating to the nomination and appointment of members of the Indigenous People’s Commission (IPC), which has been pending for the past seven years. The twelve-member Commission nominated from various entities and Rights Commission, the Toshaos Council, and Amerindian organisations include Toshaos Yvonne Pearson, Marco De Souza, and Doreen Jacobis; David James, Matilda Saigo, Patricia Singh, George Simon, Captain Gerald Gouveia, Damian Fernandes, James Singh, Father Malcolm Rodrigues and Norman Whittaker.
Members of the Opposition, particularly those who were also part of the Committee, said that they approve the nomination of all the members except that of Forestry Commissioner James Singh, who was nominated by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.
Both Dr. George Norton of the People’s National Congress Reform and Sheila Holder of the Alliance for Change were of the view that since Singh does not function within the ambit of the Ministry that nominated him, he was not a suitable candidate.
Holder said that Singh’s nomination is “a breach of trust and it cast serious aspersions on the expertise within the Ministry.”
Mover of the motion and Chairperson of the Committee on Appointments, Gail Teixeira, in her response, said that the Constitution by which the proceedings of the Parliament as well as the parliamentary committees are guided, clearly stipulates that the selected entities may nominate a suitable candidate to sit on the Commission. It does not say that the nominee must be a representative of that particular entity.
“When we wrote to the entities, we asked them to choose a person who is competent to contribute positively to the work of the Commission and who is committed to devoting energy and time to ensure effective discharge of functions,” Teixeira said.
She maintained that there is nothing improper or illegal about the nomination of Singh by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.
Teixeira also refuted statements by Dr. Norton that the IPC will be undermined because there is no actual nominee from the Ministry.
She asserted that the IPC, which has its own mandate, will not take the place of any Ministry. The motion was adopted and the nominees will be appointed by President Bharrat Jagdeo shortly.  (GINA)