The chairmanship of the four parliamentary Sectoral Standing Committees will change on an annual basis following agreement between government and the opposition.
The chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the four-constitutionally mandated Sectoral Standing Committees of the National Assembly were elected on February 7, almost a year since the members had been nominated with the opposition chairing two and government, two.
Asked on Friday why it took so long for the committees to be constituted, chairperson of the Foreign Relations committee, Deborah Backer said that there were issues with amendments to the standing orders which took time but these have now been resolved. Based on the agreement reached, the chairs of the committees will change annually. “They will rotate every year,” she said
Under the current arrangement, the government chairs the Economic Services and the Social Services committees with the vice-chairs being opposition member. The opposition chairs the Foreign Relations committee and the Natural Resources committee with the vice-chairs being government members.
When asked about the agenda for the committee she chairs, Backer said that at the next meeting which is expected to be held within the next fortnight, the members will collectively come up with a work programme. She said she has her own ideas but the other members of the committee would have theirs as well.
The members of these committees had been nominated since March 7, 2012 by the Committee of Selection. The Constitution mandated that the chair and vice chair come from opposite sides of the National Assembly. Technically they should have been elected at the first meeting of the committees with the Speaker of the National Assembly.
The Sectoral Committees and their chairs and vice chairs are:
Economic Services committee: Chair – Manzoor Nadir; Vice-Chair – Carl Greenidge
Foreign Relations committee: Chair – Deborah Backer, Vice-Chair – Bibi Shadick
Natural Resources committee: Chair – Rupert Roopnaraine; Vice-Chair – Odinga Lumumba
Social Services committee: Chair – Indranie Chandarpal; Vice-Chair – Volda Lawrence
The Sectoral Committees have the responsibility for the scrutiny of all areas of government policy and administration. They have the power to examine all policies and administration for each sector to determine whether the execution of government policy is in consonance with the principle of good governance and in the best interest of the nation.
