A high level team of APNU officials on Wednesday met with several UNDP representatives to discuss issues affecting the functioning of the National Assembly and concerns about good governance.
Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, MP, APNU Deputy Chairman and shadow minister of agriculture, natural resources and the environment; Basil Williams, PNCR Chairman and shadow minister of legal affairs and attorney general and Lance E Carberry, policy adviser met with UNDP Parliamentary Adviser on Democratic Governance Charles Chavel, Policy Adviser to UNDP Resident Representative George Wachira and UNDP Programme Analyst for Governance Trevor Benn.
According to a press release, Chavel explained that the purpose of his visit is to observe the parliamentary process in Guyana and to make recommendations to the UNDP on areas of democratic governance for which assistance may be required.
In this context, the meeting reviewed the full range of issues affecting the functioning of the National Assembly, particularly matters of transparency and accountability of the executive branch to the people of Guyana through their representatives in the National Assembly.
The meeting also discussed the various initiatives by the administration to stymie the functioning of the National Assembly including the withholding of the Presidential Assent to Bills passed by the parliamentary majority in contravention of the Constitution; the non-appointment of the Consti-tutional Commissions and Constitutional Agencies along with the implementation of, and respect for the prolonged failure to appoint an Ombudsman; the farcical nature of the neuterised Integrity Commission, the implications of Gecom and the Parliament Office as Budget Agencies under the Office of the President.
In addition, it discussed the undermining of the independence and professionalization of the public service, including the absence of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal; the refusal to provide adequate resources for the effective functioning of the Constitutional Office of the Leader of the Opposition; the long delayed reform of the local government system and the undermining of the authority and functioning of the elected councillors in the RDCs and municipalities by the REOs and town clerks appointed by the local government minister and the subvention of the process for the appointment of the constitutionally mandated Public Procurement Commission.
