Government and opposition representatives on the Committee of Appointments feel that the June 10 deadline for the establishment of six constitutional commissions, in keeping with a commitment to national stakeholders on crime, will be met.
The three representatives, Gail Teixeira who chairs the committee and PNCR-1G MP Deborah Backer and AFC MP Sheila Holder all told Stabroek News that they have been meeting every Tuesday, with the exception of last week, to discuss and reach consensus on the appointment of the committee. Previously the committee met every fortnight.
Thirty days have passed since the stakeholders met on March 12, 2008 at the Office of the President and agreed for Parliament to expedite the appointment of the six constitutional rights commissions within 90 days.
The decision was taken in the wake of two brutal massacres in which 23 persons were killed at Lusignan and Bartica in a matter of three weeks with the objective of strengthening governance and at the same time matters of security.
The six commissions comprise the five rights commissions, four of which fall under the purview of the Committee of Appointments, and the Procurement Commission which is the responsibility of the Public Accounts Committee.
Meanwhile, the civil society group, the Forum on Solidarity and Effectiveness (FES) has said that to date the parliamentary parties had failed to engage civil society stakeholders in their attempts to resolve differences over amendments to the motion on security proposed to the National Assembly by Prime Minister Sam Hinds on March 27, 2007. The motion followed the stakeholders meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo.