-Attorney General tells Berbice stakeholders
ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall, on Friday last, visited the ancient county of Berbice where he interacted with the staff of the Deeds Registry, members of the Berbice Bar Association and residents and informed them of government’s plans to transform the justice system. Addressing the Deeds Registry staff, Minister Nandlall informed them that government is in the process of addressing a number of issues which will not only benefit them but will also see the Registry being run efficiently and effectively.
“I am aware of the deficiencies that exist in the system as I have received several complaints which have been along the same lines…nevertheless, there are several programmes which have started even before I assumed office…and these programmes were intended to improve the general efficiency in the system,” Minister Nandlall said.
Towards this end, he alluded to the fact that there is a Deeds Registry Authority which was enacted in 2001 but became operational in October 2011 because of the necessary measures that needed to be in place to make the Act functional.
“That Act is directed at improving the efficiency and to modernise and restructure the Registry…principally the Act establishes a board that will manage the affairs of the Registry,” he told the staffers, while simultaneously alluding to another programme that is intended to bring about technological changes to the operations of the deeds registry by replacing the manually driven system to one that is computer driven.
The successful implementation of these programmes by government will see the Deeds Registry offices being completely modernised with computers being used not only as a means of storage of documents but also for everyday transactions.
This, according to Minister Nandlall, will result in an efficient service being offered to members of the public and it will also help with an efficient delivery of justice, as the entire justice system will benefit from similar upgrades.
“The objective of this strategy is to modernise the justice sector and to introduce in a greater way what is being done now so that the quality and efficiency of work done by the Registry can be accelerated…a lot of this has started in Georgetown but it has not yet been completed…”
Nandlall said this move to modernise the justice system will assist tremendously with the record keeping aspect of the Registry as it is the repository of official records, transports, powers-of-attorneys as well as the other records it stores.
The Government Information Agency (GINA), reported that during Nandlall’s interaction with the staff of the Deeds Registry, it was clear that the issue of having trained and competent staff who would be proficient in the use of such technology would be needed.
Further, there is a need for staff to be professionally trained in certain technical areas of Law as it will significantly improve the quality of service being provided by the Registry to the public.

“We have recognised that training will be an issue and we have already embarked upon a feasibility study to ascertain which is the best route to take to have staff trained, not only in the use of the new equipment, but also the appointment of staff to the position of notary public which requires extensive training followed by the sitting of an exam…we would love to have persons complete further studies at the University of Guyana.
“While this route is an area which is governed by the Public Service Ministry, the Ministry will try its best to make representations for persons who are inclined not just to qualify themselves and move on but to also stay in the system and help with its upgrade,” Minister Nandlall said in response to their concerns.
Meanwhile, members of the Berbice Bar Association expressed their pleasure when they met with the Attorney General, as he sought consultations with them pertaining to government’s plan on modernising the justice sector and, more importantly, on upgrading the Deeds Registry.

“We, the members of the Berbice Bar Association, are pleased to have sat and discussed with the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, our concerns of the current operation of the Deeds Registry and government’s plans for modernising the sector…,” Attorney-at-Law Deena Panday said.
She said the continuance of such meetings like the one on Friday will certainly help in ensuring the successful implementation of government’s intended programmes in a manner pleasing to all.
In his address to the Bar Association, Minister Nandlall outlined government’s plan for enhancing the justice sector, noting that the plan does not only revolve around the upgrade of the operations at the Registry.
“We have commenced a process which would result in the official Gazette being accessible countrywide as it will be available both online and at the offices of the Neighbourhood and Regional Democratic Councils countrywide…there is also a law revision exercise in the process which will see the re-writing of the Laws of the Guyana to include the various amendments to Acts as at December 31, 2011, which will be available in soft and hard copies by July,” Minister Nandlall said.
The Attorney General also assured the Bar Association that his ministry will be placing a lot of emphasis on ensuring the following occurs:
**  the sitting of the Full Court in Berbice
**  the employment of well qualified, committed individuals to be numbered among the staff of the Registry, and
** the continuation and development of a Mediation Centre in Berbice
Also, whilst in Berbice, Minister Nandlall met with residents of Number 46 village Corentyne and cattle farmers of Albion to hear and address some of their concerns pertaining to legal matters of the state.

“As a government official, it is my duty to establish and maintain a working, professional relationship with members of the public; as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs I am obligated to listen to your concerns and address those where government’s interventions are needed,” Minister Nandlall said.
He also told residents that he will be taking some of their concerns back to Cabinet, in an effort to having them adequately resolved.
According to GINA,  Nandlall has embarked on an outreach programme which will see the Minister visiting the outlying regions to listen to, address, and obtain first hand information on the level and type of interventions government can make towards the provision of a better justice system which will benefit all.
He is expected to visit Regions Two and Ten within the coming weeks.