By Rehana Ahamad

ATTORNEY-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall has been appointed Chairman of the Constitutional Reform Committee of the National Assembly, which is expected to have its second meeting sometime next week. At that meeting, a Deputy Chairperson is likely to be appointed, Nandlall told the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday.
He said that once all the key office holders of the committee are appointed, the team will commence formulation of a working programme for the year. The work plan, according to Nandlall, will outline the Reform Committee’s tasks, and the way in which the body will execute its responsibilities.
“We will work out the programme on how the reform process will unfold, because the reform process will determine what provisions of the Constitution will be reviewed,” Nandlall said.
The Attorney-General emphasised the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)’s commitment towards constitutional reform.
“You will recall that in our Manifesto, we said that we will pursue constitutional reform, with the Constitutional Reform Committee of the National Assembly being the engine that would drive the process,” Nandlall asserted.

The Attorney-General is hopeful that once the committee is commissioned, it would be able to efficiently tackle its tasks, with the support of all the committee members.
“Firstly, I’m expecting that we are able to accomplish the agenda of the meeting, which is to elect the chair and deputy chairperson,” Nandlall reiterated.
The Constitutional Reform Committee comprises of Government Parliamentarians Priya Manickchand, Charles Ramson, Sonia Parag and Sanjeev Datadin, along with Opposition Members of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan, Raphael Trotman, Nicolette Henry and Amanza Walton-Desir.
Article 119A of Guyana’s Constitution specifies that “As soon as may be the beginning of each National Assembly there shall be appointed a Standing Committee for Constitutional Reform.”
The purpose of the committee is to continuously “review the effectiveness of the working of the Constitution, and making periodic reports to the National Assembly, with proposals for reform as necessary. The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Constitutional Reform shall consist of not less than six or more than 10 members to be nominated by the Committee of Selection”.
Additionally, to assist in its work, “the committee shall have the power to co-opt experts or enlist the aid of other persons of appropriate expertise, whether or not such experts or other persons are Members of the National Assembly.”