— Attorney -General

ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has said that the government has a right to respond to criticism even as he noted that the administration remains open to criticism.

Nandlall made these remarks during his Tuesday night edition of his online programme “Issues In the News” where he spoke briefly on the reports of civil society groups making “blistering” accusations against the government.

The Attorney-General said that civil society organisations have a crucial role to play in all democratic equations but must function with rectitude and operate with accountability and transparency.

If these organisations do not operate this way, they will not be taken seriously, he said. Nandlall, while he spoke on the issue, stated that following that statement issued by the organisations, which prompted a response from the government, many segments of society became very critical of the government.

“It appears that there is a belief in some quarters that democracy allows for government to be criticised and I agree and the government has repeatedly stated that we welcome criticisms but it does not appear that those segments of the press and those segments of society appreciate that the very democracy also permits the government to respond to those criticism,” the Attorney-General said.

He noted that some persons hold a belief that criticism is a one-way street and that democracy recognises the right to criticise the government but does not reciprocate in the government a right to respond to those criticisms.

The minister said during the show that he does not agree with that belief and noted that he does not believe that democracy suffers such limitations even as he noted that the freedom of expression embraces the free exchange and dissemination of information from all sides.

“We in the government, we remain open to criticism but we will reserve the right to respond to those criticism, we will not be disrespectful, we will not be scandalous, we will try as far as possible if the situation doesn’t permit it, we will not ascribe ulterior and disrespectful motive to the accusers,” Nandlall said.