The National Assembly last evening passed an amendment to the Constitution to provide for a number of agencies to become financially independent and free from possible Government influence.
But Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall vowed to advise the President not to assent to it.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2013 pertains to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Judicial Service Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Police Service Commission, the Teaching Service Commission, Public Service Appellate Tribunal, the Public Procurement Commission, Office of the Ombudsman and the Guyana Elections Commission.
Speaking on the Bill, AFC Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan said that the financial independence of a number of agencies now considered budget agencies is necessary for their work to be considered independent.
He said that the work of the Audit Office must be independent. He said that the placing of these agencies as budget agencies is part of government’s “control freakism.”
“When you could control the purse strings you control the thinking of the agency,” he said.
“If we don’t (amend) we could have a flawed Constitution,” he said. He said that independent entities should be more than what is included here,” he said. “The DPP and Public Service Commission should be included here,” Ramjattan said.
He said that the Minister of Finance removed the Audit Office from being a budget agency because he recognised that it was wrong for it to be so considered.
In defence of the Government, Attorney General Nandlall said
