Pledging that the new PPP/C administration will continue to promote good governance, respect for the constitution and the human rights of all Guyanese, Minister of Public Works Juan Edgill said that the decision by President Irfaan Ali, to establish a Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance indicates the importance that his Government is giving to these areas.
The ministry is headed by Gail Teixeira.
“This is the first time that this focus has been elevated to the level of a Ministry, with the mandate of managing the diverse affairs of Government in the Parliament of Guyana, to respond actively and effectively to Parliamentary matters on behalf of Government; ensuring effective, accountable and transparent institutions; promoting responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels; and, coordinating the Constitutional and Electoral Re-form processes,” Edghill told the National Assembly yesterday.
At the time he was presenting the government’s $306.2 billion emergency budget to Parliament in the absence of the main opposition APNU+AFC which boycotted the sitting in response to the brutal slaying of cousins, Joel and Isaiah Henry, over the last weekend.
According to the Minister, the focus of this Ministry is in line with promises made during the election campaign.
He said that “after the last five years of reversals” the new Ministry brings additional attention to implementing the Government’s commitment to return to “making our Government systems more accessible, inclusive and open to all.”
According to Edghill the new administration will continue to uphold the separation of the powers of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary; ensure non-interference by the Executive in the work of the Constitutional bodies; promote continuous reform and accountability of the criminal justice system to ensure justice is delivered in a timely way with regards for human rights; ensure that there is no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation in the workplace, education and health sectors or in any other areas of national life; and, foster diversity and inclusiveness to ensure that all Guyanese benefit and feel that they are an integral part of the decision-making processes that affect their daily lives. Previous PPP/C governments had not been amenable to accepting that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation be outlawed.
Meanwhile, accusing the last administration of using the Local Democratic Organs (LDOs) as a “slush fund”, Edghill said that the administration believes strongly in community development, regional improvement and national collaboration.
According to him the new administration has observed an inflated workforce due to the hiring of political actors, and this has cost taxpayers millions of dollars. “Mr Speaker, there was no record or report of the work done by most of these employees.”
On the other hand, under this new administration, the regional bodies and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), according to Edghill, will be strengthened to better engender local democracy. The Ministry of Local Government has been re-established to focus on this agenda and has now dedicated programmes to oversee development at both regional and local government levels.
He announced that a 3-year strategic plan for local government and an institutional gap analysis for five municipalities – Bartica, Linden, Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Lethem – has been completed. They will review the contents of these analyses for consistency with the national policy directive and determine their utility for future interventions.
“The local government representatives of the people will be supported by policy direction and additional funding through increased subventions and institutional strengthening to more effectively manage their resources and take on greater maintenance responsibilities for infrastructural development. We will bolster citizens’ access to community spaces and services, and ensure that the various programmes of the 10 administrative regions are supported by the relevant sector agencies and ministries,” Edghill declared.
