MINISTER of Finance M.r Winston Jordan expressed the hope that the bi-Partisan Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform will conclude its review of the Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission Bill.
He further stated that in 2019, a survey is to be embarked upon in collaboration with the University of Guyana to gauge the public’s understanding of the constitutional reform processes.

According to the minister, during his delivery of the budget 2019 speech in the National Assembly on Monday, constitutional reform remains a mandate and promise of the Coalition Government. The legislation has been with the standing committee for over a year.

“Our government welcomes the constructive scrutiny that the honourable members of this committee will no doubt exercise in their rigorous examination of the Bill, as we collectively recognise the need to adapt our constitution to reflect our evolution as a democracy,” said the minister.

He noted that Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has been, and will continue to spearhead constitutional reform with the full support of the government. “We have allocated some resources in Budget 2019 to mount a survey and an awareness programme, in partnership with University of Guyana and others. The survey will seek to assess the current understanding of constitutional reform by the general populace and their expectations, while the awareness programme will aim to stimulate a grassroots participatory approach to the entire process,” he said.

The minister said that his government has established a number of constitutional bodies such as the Public Procurement Commission and the Local Government Commission. “We have re-constituted several dormant constitutional bodies, including Public Service Appellate Tribunal, Integrity Commission and Ethnic Relations Commission. We have enacted legislation to promote the financial independence of the constitutional bodies. Collectively, constitutional agencies account for approximately 3.5 per cent of Budget 2019, up from 3.3 percent in 2018,” Jordan said.