AG – ‘Guyana has one of the most aggressive, legislative agendas in recent times’

There have been a number of transformative changes in Guyana’s legal landscape, as part of Government’s promise to overhaul and modernise the system, according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC.

The attorney general made this disclosure while speaking during an interview on Wednesday at the High Court. “On the legislative landscape, we have one of the most aggressive legislative agendas in recent times, in this country.  As I said, in the National Assembly, right now, waiting for debate are a number of transformative pieces of legislation,” Nandlaall said.

He continued, “A bail bill which is perhaps the most modern manifestation of the law as it relates to bail across the Caribbean and even the Commonwealth. We have a higher purchase bill that is there, we have an E-transaction bill, we have a constitutional reform bill that will trigger the important process of constitutional reform, to be taken to the Parliament is the most modern Arbitration Bill in the Caribbean.” 

The Attorney General explained that the government has launched a revision of the laws of Guyana. Law revision is implementing and adding to the law, and inserting in the law the various amendments that would have been made to the existing laws; as well as to consolidate new legislation enacted by the National Assembly.

“The last exercise of this nature re-concluded in 2012 and we plan to conclude another incarnation by the end of 2022. Because from 2012 to 2022, you would appreciate that a number of pieces of legislation and law reforms would have taken place. The law revision exercise, now, is to put them into one document, incorporate them, insert them into one volume of laws which will be the consolidated laws of Guyana,” he underscored.

The legal affairs minister stressed that this will be made accessible to the public. He said that as it relates to the arbitration proceedings, “the arbitration proceedings are ongoing. There are procedural matters that are being attended to by the lawyers representing both sides, including finding agreement on the personnel who will sit on the arbitration panel…they have to comply with a number of procedural steps and they (the lawyers) are in the process of doing that.”

It was noted that government is making major steps in the legal landscape and has earmarked multiple areas for the building and renovation of courthouses across the country.

“In the pipeline…. plans are afoot to construct a modern and massive judicial complex that will accommodate in Demerara- the Court of Appeal, the High Court, land court, and all the attendant registries, and support apparatus in one central location,” Nandlall said.

Further, the 2020–2025 manifesto of the government outlines its strategy for constitutional reform and encourages the participation of all Guyanese in the review process.