– Attorney General tells National Assembly

GOVERNMENT will shortly commence the process on constitutional reform with nationwide consultation, but will start the discussions in the National Assembly, Attorney-General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall said.

“Work will begin shortly, right here in this House, utilising the Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform as the launching pad to execute our government’s agenda on constitutional reform. I must emphasise that this process will be driven by a very broad-based vehicle, comprising of Government, the Opposition on the one hand, and civil society on the other hand, in an equal partnership, and will embrace nationwide consultation,” the Attorney-General said during the 2020 Budget debates on Friday.
Nandlall said the Legal Affairs Ministry was dormant for the past five years under the previous administration. As such, work is being done on several critical bills within the next four months.

They include a Bail Bill, a Hire Purchase Bill, and an Arbitration Bill, amendments to the Companies Act, as well as a series of legislation for the petroleum industry.
With only four months left in the year, the work will begin on constitutional reform through the budget, Nandlall said.

Discussions will be held in the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform, where the modalities will be worked out.
“Our approach to constitutional reform will not be government-driven; it will be government in partnership with the Parliamentary Opposition, in partnership with civil society in a multi-stakeholder drive, and it will be driven by the people of this country, who will be consulted nationally,” the Attorney-General stated.
Contributions from the consultations will be analysed to begin the process.