ATTORNEY General and Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform, Basil Williams SC on Saturday told a group of party members that the Parliament represented accountability and transparency and urged them to learn more of the working of this body.

Williams was at the time delivering the feature address at the opening of a one-day study tour by the Patriots–a PNCR group comprised mainly of professionals at Guyana’s Parliament.

The tour was facilitated by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs and included presentations from other key staff of the Parliament.  Williams congratulated the Patriots and its Education Coordinator, Dr Taishan Shanks for the innovative exercise.
“This what you have organised here today is very innovative and I must applaud you because it is in this hallowed chambers that decisions which affect the lives of all of us are made and I am pleased you are attempting today to understand the process…”

Williams remarked. He told the group that Parliament represented accountability and transparency and explained the difference between the Parliament and the National Assembly and also spoke about the place of Parliament in the doctrine of separations of powers.

Under Article 51 of the Constitution of Guyana, the Parliament of Guyana consists of the President and the National Assembly. The National Assembly has 65 members elected using the system of proportional representation. Twenty-five are elected from the ten geographical constituencies and forty are awarded at the national level on the basis of block votes secured.

Williams emphasised the distinction between the British Parliament and that of Guyana. He made special note that in Britain the Parliament is supreme, but in Guyana the Constitution is. “But where the Parliament passes laws in conformity with the prescription in the constitution, it was supreme because the courts could not intervene in the substance of the legislation…”

Williams also pointed out to the Patriots the seating arrangements in Parliament, with the government and opposition facing each other. He said this physical adversarial outlook notwithstanding, should not deter Members of Parliament to act in the interest of the people of Guyana. During the study tour, the group heard presentations  on the history of parliament; definition of parliament and the composition of the National Assembly; roles of MPs; parliament procedures; bill, interpretation of Parliamentary terms among other topics.