– AFC reminds
With the deadline approaching, the Alliance For Change (AFC) has issued a public reminder to the administration of President Bharrat Jagdeo’s promise to table long-awaited Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation.
President Jagdeo announced in April, during the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, plans to table the legislation within a two-month period. Up to that time, the administration had failed to act on the FOI bill tabled in the National Assembly by AFC leader, Raphael Trotman two years ago.
Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira told Stabroek News that the legislation is being drafted and would be tabled in the National Assembly shortly. When informed that the two-month timetable given by the President is approaching, she said, “These things take time.” She insisted that work is continuing on the bill and it would be introduced in the assembly upon completion.
Meanwhile, when approached on the issue, Attorney General Charles Ramson declined to comment. “I have nothing to say on that,” he said repeatedly. As he walked off, he uttered, “This is not America.”
At a news conference on Wednesday, AFC MP Sheila Holder noted that the government has said it would be using the Trinidad & Tobago model as a precedent just as the AFC did. “President Jagdeo is reminded that he made his promise in a very public and international way and that the eyes of the free world are on him and his government,” said Holder, who declared that the President’s failure to keep his word would indicate that the government only gives ‘lip service’ to the concepts of democracy and good governance.
She added that while the AFC supports the introduction and passage of this legislation, the government should remember that the party has already placed legislation before the National Assembly designed to achieve the same objective of providing access to information to members of the public. “The AFC is more than willing to have the government endorse, and adopt its bill in order to expedite the process,” she stated.
When asked about the success of consultations to get support for its bill, Trotman noted that there had been no serious consultations with the government. He explained that both the main opposition PNCR-1G and GAP/ROAR had publicly pledged their support for the bill and that the AFC had always indicated its willingness to engage the governing party on advancing the legislation. “The government, I believe, wanted a face-saver,” he said, referring to the fact announcement made by President Jagdeo when he was pressed by international journalists to respond to questions about governance, corruption, and transparency in Guyana. The AFC had placed a full-page advertisement in the Trinidad Express during the Summit, highlighting its concerns about governance in Guyana.
Trotman said the AFC would support the government’s tabling of the legislation, since it is more important to the country than it is for the party. However, he noted that while President Jagdeo indicated that consultations would have been held with stakeholders, this has not been undertaken. “So, we believe there is probably going to be some kind of hurried approach coming into the two-week deadline,” he said, adding, “Hopefully we will get some action soon.”
