Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall says that it is not part of the mandate of the AG’s Chambers to draft bills for anyone other than the government a view with which AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan disagrees.
New Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman had said in an interview with Stabroek News last week that he expects that in this Parliament – with an opposition majority – there would be far more private members’ bills, more motions, the work of committees will increase and MPs will receive the requisite training and exposure in sitting on committees and providing oversight functions on government spending and the implementation of government policy.
The new Speaker had highlighted the training of Members of Parliament as critical.
He noted that private members’ days – where any business brought by opposition MPs is discussed – are important but there was the argument that opposition members do not bring anything.
Trotman said he thought that this was as a result of insufficient training and insufficient support. “For example if you’re a member representing Region 8, your ability to move an idea into a policy document and from a policy document into a legislative draft without any legal training or background is really very slim,” he had said.
Trotman had said that MPs and parties have to agitate for this and providing all the parties in Parliament with legislative assistance and support staff and even if need be, office space so that they can have research assistance and persons to help is critical.
Asked last week whether the AG’s Chambers can offer this legislative assistance to opposition MPs, Nandlall said no. The AG’s chambers is part of the executive government and drafts and looks at legislation on behalf of the government, he said. “It is not part of the agenda of my ministry to draft bills for anyone other than the government,” he said.
But Ramjattan said that the legislation draftspersons at the AG chambers are supposed to be there for all parliamentarians.
The facilities that are at the Chambers “ought to come to the assistance of the Members of Parliament,” he said when contacted on Sunday. In the past, he said, the governing party had indicated to its officials that they must not help the opposition and expressed hope that this would change under the new minister.
“I am hoping that Nandlall is going to instruct his officers to give some assistance,” said Ramjattan while noting that all the parliamentarians pay taxes and the legal draftspersons should not only be available to the government.
However, he added that he would like to see some assistance separate from the executive government where the legal draftsperson or research assistants can be paid through Parliament to assist parliamentarians. The Parliamentary Management Committee would have to seek the assistance of the government to get funding or alternatively, international groups that are willing can be approached, Ramjattan said. He noted that currently there is only one legal draftsperson in the AG chambers and this department should be expanded. “The drafting section of the AG’s chambers ought to be a big department,” he stated.
The AFC leader underscored the difficulties in preparing bills and motions pointing out that it takes a lot of time and research to put together a document. He recalled that once during the last Parliament, he had approached a staff member of the AG’s chambers for assistance in locating a document and the response was that the AG had to be contacted. The former AG’s response was a flat-out no, Ramjattan recalled.
He said that they would have to advocate for research assistants and draftspeople or the services of a draftsperson to assist in preparing bills and was optimistic that this could occur.
