– following fiasco with local gov’t legislation
Parliament Office is now sending bills for assent directly to the Office of the President (OP), bypassing the traditional route that involved first referring them to the Attorney General’s Chambers for vetting.
The move by Parliament Office is seen as an assertion of its status as an independent branch of government and not beholden to the AG’s Chambers. Just over a year ago, a controversy erupted over why bills for the President’s assent needed to go first to the AG’s Chambers for the preparation of an assent certificate. Commentator Christopher Ram had pointed out that the rules of the National Assembly set out the route for the bills which did not include the AG’s Chambers. Attorney General Anil Nandlall later argued