MP Jones advocates for Ombudsman, Justice Sector transformation
A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity (APNU) new Member of Parliament (MP), Christopher Jones has called on the Government to speed up the process for appointing an Ombudsman. Making his maiden speech in the National Assembly, during debate on the 2012 national budget Tuesday, he quoted Sir Shridath Ramphal, saying:”Our Constitution contains an elaborate network of constitutional guarantees of fundamental human rights and our endeavour is to ensure that human rights of society are safeguarded practical ways.”
Jones said he believes the Constitution, itself, caters for the Office of the Ombudsman but it is missing from the budget.
He reminded that of some of the objectives of the office are to investigate and resolve complaints, promptly, against injustice done to members of the public by government departments and other authorities, guidance to members of the public whose complaints are inside the jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure that they are treated right and there is no discrimination in terms of race, place of origin, political persuasion, colour, creed or sex.
The APNU MP was critical of all the presentations by Government Members, which took the National Assembly into the past, beyond 1992.
He made reference to the theme of the budgets over the years, quoting the late Winston Murray’s argument in 2008, which was that there was nothing fresh in them.
Commendable
Jones said the $2.1 billion allocated for the Justice Sector is commendable but he added:”We must reach out. As a developing country with new challenges, I urge the Private Sector and other interest groups that have sought partnerships to meet those challenges. The thinking behind public/private partnerships was to involve the growth engines of the Private Sector in projects that would transform the lives of the populace.”
He said that gives credence and validity to promoting unity and moving forward together.
“The formulation of a system of prioritising programmes on which this $2.1 billion are spent should be undertaken using the same principles that obtain in private/public partnerships,” he posited.
Jones said, in doing so, he believes that Government would be able to utilise the wealth of expertise at the disposal of the Guyana Bar Association, the Berbice Bar Association, the Guyana Women Lawyers Association, the wider pool of judges and magistrates and the entire legal fraternity.
He suggested that all must engage every single person in the judicial system; all hands must be placed on this monumental task of transforming the justice sector.
Jones told the House that, while the Administration must be commended for rehabilitating buildings and constructing new ones in the sector that does not translate into justice or quality of service.
“New buildings must go hand in hand with new policies and personnel,” he argued.