The remaining Constitution Reform and Law Reform commissions members were yesterday sworn in by President Irfaan Ali at the Office of the President.
The three remaining Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) members sworn in are A New and United Guyana member Timothy Jonas SC, representative of the Christian community Keoma Griffith and representative of the Guyana Bar Association Kamal Ramkarran. They were out of the jurisdiction when the other members were sworn in.
The other members sworn in for the Law Reform Commission are Dr Marie Correia and Everton Singh-Lammy.
“It is important to understand where our society is today as to the type of society the population and the environment in which we operate in as a country will be operating 20, 30, 40 years from now,” the President said following the swearing in yesterday.
“Constitutional reform and law reform are things that aren’t taken lightly that you can do every year or every four or five years that is why members of these commissions must be very forward looking,” he added.
Ali said that the organisations themselves need to “self-reflect” the weight placed on them.
Earlier this month, the Constitution Reform Commission Act was amended with unanimous support in the National Assembly to correct an error in the number of members on the Commission from 20 to 21, paving the way for the Commission to begin its work.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall (SC) had said that the amendment “takes effect from the date as it was retroactive [to the date of the Previous Act]”.
He had said that as three commissioners were still to be sworn in, the law was not violated and the amendment would allow for the swearing in of those members and the Commission having its full complement, and “it can begin its work.”
In November 2022, the Bill was passed with the expectation that the government would move swiftly to begin the constitutional reform process.
Some 18 of the 21-member Commission were sworn in last April.
At April’s swearing-in ceremony, former chancellor of the judiciary, retired Justice Carl Singh was named Chairman. Others sworn in were People’s Progressive Party (PPP) members: Nandlall, Gail Teixeira, Dr Frank Anthony, Pauline Campbell-Sukhai and Kwame McCoy. APNU+AFC members Vincent Alexander, Sherwood Lowe, Ganesh Mahipaul and Nigel Hughes were also sworn in. As were Aslim Singh of the Labour Movement, Chairman of the National Toshaos’ Council Derrick Rowan John, private sector representative Ramesh Persaud, representative of women’s organizations Dr Kim Kyte-Thomas, Chairman of the Youth Advisory Council Dr Josh Kanhai, Imran Ally of the Muslim Youth Organization; farmers representative Adrian Anamayah and representative of the Hindu community Radha Krishna Sharma.
For the Law Reform Commission, attorney at law, Emily Dodson is the Chairperson. She will serve as chair for the next three years. The swearing in had occurred in January of this year.
President Ali had also administered the Oath of Office to former Member of Parliament and indigenous rights advocate Lenox Shuman, who will also serve for three years.
The other members, who were sworn in in August of 2021, are Teni Housty, Deenawatie Panday and Clarissa Riehl. Their three-year tenures are expected to conclude later this year.
