The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) yesterday handed over $5M to the University of Guyana (UG) as funding for constitutional reform education.
UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith received the cheque from Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo at the OPM.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) said that the Constitutional Reform Education programme is a collaboration among the OPM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the University of Guyana.
Nagamootoo said yesterday that constitutional reform is not for “sloganeering” nor should it be used as an electioneering platform.
“What I see happening is an attempt by politicians, when it is convenient to politicians, to talk about Constitutional Reform outside of the context of what it means to the ordinary person, whether or not the ordinary person understands the Constitution,” PM Nagamootoo stated.
Nagamootoo’s government has been severely criticised for failing to live up to commitments for constitutional reform.
UNDP Resident Representative, Mikiko Tanaka said after a 2016 mission, it was determined that consensus across political parties and public education were the two pillars of constitutional reform.
She noted that “any discussion around reforming would require that understanding of what is in the Constitution or what is lacking or what needs to be changed.”
According to DPI, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Barbara Reynolds said a survey and the education awareness programme will extend beyond the Coastland to ensure Guyanese from all regions are involved.
DPI said that OPM will print 500 copies of the Constitution which will be handed over to schools and Toshaos across the country. This will be done before the close of 2018.
