ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C. has said that Guyana’s Constitution is and remains one of the most advanced and democratic constitutions in the region.
He made those remarks during a previous broadcast of his live show, ‘Issues in the News,’ where he addressed contentions made about Guyana’s governance system.

Vehemently rejecting a categorisation that Guyana’s governance structure is akin to an autocracy, he said that Guyana’s Constitution is not only democratic but stands as one of the most advanced and liberal in the Caribbean.
Guyana, like many other democracies, operates under a well-established constitution that has been scrutinised and even praised for its democratic framework.

This Constitution, he said, establishes a contract between the state and its citizens, outlining how the government will function, how its leaders are elected, how public funds are managed, and how the government is held accountable.
“The constitution of a country is that principal document, that basic document of the state that establishes a contract between the state and the citizens. It outlines how the state will be managed, how the state will be governed, and by whom,” Nandlall said.
Further, Nandlall related that Guyana’s Constitution meets all international requirements as it relates to constitutions that govern other countries like the United States, India, Canada and South Africa, among others.

“All these countries have constitutions that are similar to ours. In fact, I will advance the proposition that Guyana’s Constitution is more liberal, is more democratic, and is more advanced than any other in the Caribbean and I can debate that at any forum,” he posited.
Nandlall reasoned that no one could look at Guyana’s constitutional and legal architecture and advance the contention that the architecture is somewhat undemocratic or autocratic.
Against this backdrop, it can be said that the government has also forged ahead with the modernisation of the country’s constitution with several new pieces of legislation passed since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government entered office in 2020.
He said: “…this government from 2020 to now, we have passed more laws than any other country in the Caribbean.”

While the Attorney-General reiterated this point, he said that this fact while it refers to the English-speaking Caribbean can possibly be extended to the entire Commonwealth.
At the end of 2023, it was noted that Guyana’s legislative framework is and has been experiencing significant changes since the PPP/C assumed office in 2020, all of which is aimed at promoting modernisation.
At that time, it was reported that approximately 78 bills had been passed in the National Assembly.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira at the end of 2023 told members of the press that what the government has been bringing crucial pieces of legislation that are transformational, thus modernising the legal framework of the country.