The AFC is working on legislation that will amend several bills passed in the last parliament including that former president’s benefits Bill and the Broadcasting Bill but will require the support of one of the other parties for the amendments to be approved.
The AFC will be discussing these in the tripartite talks with the government and APNU, Chairman of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan told Stabroek News yesterday. He pointed out that the AFC only has seven seats in the National Assembly and so will require the support of another party for the amendments to be approved. The AFC and APNU made the amendment of certain legislation a central part of their campaign in last year’s general elections and have also since raised these issues in tripartite tasks with the government. The two parties combined hold a one seat majority in the National Assembly.
Ramjattan said that the AFC has a full agenda and among the bills they will be seeking to amend are the Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill 2009, the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act so that the minister can be charged for any wrongdoing and changing the structure of the Guyana Elections Commission. The Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill 2009 has been severely criticized by the opposition parties and sections of society who have deemed the benefits excessive.
In addition, the AFC also wants to amend the Freedom of Information Act to give it the fuller provisions originally included in the Bill taken to the National Assembly by AFC leader, Raphael Trotman before the government introduced its own version as well as the Broadcasting Bill.
These will require some talks with both of the other parties in Parliament, Ramjattan said. “It requires a lot of research. It is not easy and it will require a lot of work,” he said.
Given the new configuration in the National Assembly, it is expected that the opposition will bring more legislation to the House as compared to the past. Providing all the parties in Parliament with legislative assistance and support staff and even if needs be, office space so that they can have research assistance and persons to help is critical, Speaker of the National Assembly, Trotman had told Stabroek News.
He had said he expects that in this Parliament there would be far more private members bills, more motions, the work of committees will increase and MPs will receive the requisite training and exposure in sitting on committees and providing oversight functions on government spending and the implementation of government policy.
The new Speaker had highlighted the training of Members of Parliament as critical. He noted that private members’ days – where any business brought by opposition MPs is discussed – are important but there was the argument that opposition members do not bring anything. Trotman said he thought that this was as a result of insufficient training and insufficient support. “For example if you’re a member representing Region 8, your ability to move an idea into a policy document and from a policy document into a legislative draft without any legal training or background is really very slim,” he said adding, that MPs and parties have to agitate for this.
