Two very important pieces of legislation to which the Jagdeo administration had committed itself are now before Special Select Committees of the National Assembly working feverishly overtime to ensure that this legislation is passed before the Ninth Parliament comes to an end. The two are the Access to Information Bill 2011 and the Telecommunications Bill 2010. A third issue being addressed by a Select Committee is one dealing with campaign financing introduced by AFC prime ministerial candidate Sheila Holder, although it  is reportedly receiving little support from the PPP/C which with the resources of the state at its disposal seems to have little interest in such esoteric matters.

In today’s column I will consider the Access to Information Bill and begin a review of the Telecommunications Bill which I believe has a number of implications even beyond the development of the telecommunications sector and by extension the rest of Guyana. When these two…..