Gov’t needed more time to consult
– Dr. Luncheon
GOVERNMENT needed more time to consult with all stakeholders on the passage of the Telecommunications Bill 2011 and the Public Utilities Bill 2011 and that time could not have been available during the Ninth Parliament, hence the deferment . This is according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon who spoke at his weekly press briefing held yesterday at the Office of the President.
At the closing session of the Ninth Parliament on Thursday last, it was announced that the debate and passage of the two related pieces of legislation would not be proceeded with at that sitting.
“The understanding that always prevailed was that the competitiveness of the telecommunications sector was essential for ICT reform and because ICT reform played such an important part of our vision for economic development in Guyana, it had to be pursued vigorously.
“This is why we, along with other stakeholders, spent enormous amounts of time and energy in dealing with the legislative for the telecommunications reform. What I am made to understand is that subsequent to the tabling [of legislation] and the discussion of the legislation at the present select committee, it was evident that further inputs were needed and indications are that they were provided to have the Bill result in almost non-acrimonious outcome,” he said.
“[We wanted] no acrimony, no litigation from its enactment and that needed time, additional time, to be resolved. I understand that our principals have had communications from Guyana Telephone and Telegraph/Atlantic Tele-Network of their intentions of moving ahead to resolving outstanding differences precluded acrimony and the resort to litigation,” Dr. Luncheon said.
“That resolution and the negotiations demanded time, time that was not available as the Ninth Parliament drew to a close,” he said. He said that the Bill is now slated for passage during the Tenth Parliament.
Meanwhile Digicel Guyana has made its sentiments about the non-passage of the legislation known with a dramatic, emotive advertisement depicting a woman crying, with the aim of lamenting the continuation of the monopoly in the telecommunications sector.