-Trotman
The government “is going to give its consent” for the establishment of a legislative department to assist both sides of the National Assembly in drafting bills, according to Speaker Raphael Trotman, who said it is expected to be set up before the end of the year.
“I am working on that [getting a draftsman], that is one of the reasons we had the [UNDP] training… it has been agreed that we have our own in-house person,” Trotman told Stabroek News when asked about the issue.
He, however, added that the work cannot be done by “one person” but rather an entire department, which is expected to become a reality by year end.
Although the November 28, 2011 elections saw the opposition parties gain a one-seat majority in the National Assembly, they have been seeking assistance in drafting legislation as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has repeatedly stated that the draftsmen at his office would not be made available to them.
On Tuesday, at the opening of a three-day United Nations Development Programme-funded workshop, Nandlall maintained that the legislative drafters in his ministry are for the government only, even though he said the administration is supportive of a programme to train MPs and Parliament Office staff in legislative drafting.
Trotman told Stabroek News that the workshop, which ended on Thursday, was convened for parliamentarians to get a better appreciation of the “whole process of law making, motions and bills,” while adding that it was very informative.
He agreed that at the end of the workshop the participants would not have become draft persons but pointed out that they will now have a better sense of what drafting entails and “not bring any motion that jumps into your mind but they must have national significance, etcetera.” He said they would also be aware of the wording and how a bill should be drafted. “So that is the first step, so the second is to get a person who can assist in drafting bills,” he explained.
