Parliament should deal with a number of governance issues

By Stabroek News On In Letters to the Editor |

Dear Editor,

While it must be that the relevant processes have been initiated, concerned citizens would be anxious to see the new parliament deal, as urgently as possible, with a number of governance issues, amongst which would be:

  1. i) The restructuring of the Public Service Commission, with particular interest in whether it is a requirement that it acts as the Police Service Commission as well
  2. ii) Restoration of the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions to its constitutional status, which would require its reporting direct to Parliament

iii) Reinforcement of the statutory reporting relationship of the Audit Office of Guyana to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament

  1. iv) Ensuring active review of the operational status of the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission, and its statutory reporting relationship to the new Ministry of Investment and Business
  2. v) Review of the Teaching Ser-vice Commission with the objective of its substantive restructuring
  3. vi) Appointment of a task force to review the objectives and related work programmes of:
  4. a) Guyana Livestock   Development Authority
  5. b)   National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute
  6. c)   Guyana School of Agriculture

vii) Conduct the widest possible consultation concerning the competencies and skills existing amongst former GuySuCo executives in agriculture, factory and human resources operations, and their availability

viii) Initiation of comprehensive research of all donor-funded projects over the last decade with a view to:

  1. a) evaluating the implementation status, agency by agency
  2. b) the completion, or otherwise, in proportion to expenditure to be reconciled with agreed funding
  3. c) identification of the relevant staffing involved, related compensation, and current status, if any.

The above would have been contained in relevant reports.

Taking into consideration that Guyana is a member of a number of regional and international institutions it may be useful to ascertain to what extent the descriptors of certain ministries would reconcile with those counterparts in Caricom, say, and importantly with such institutions as the ILO, WHO, PAHO, as well as others to whose conventions Guyana may be a signatory.

Yours faithfully,
E B John