Key parliament committees still to be set up

-opposition pressing Speaker to act

APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul has sharply criticized what he described as an unprecedented delay in convening key Parliamentary committees and the Opposition Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley has also written the Speaker on the matter.

In a statement issued to the media, Mahipaul said  that as Guyana matures both as an independent nation and as a republic, its democratic institutions should be strengthened rather than weakened. He contended that the failure to constitute the full slate of standing and sectoral committees represents a regression in parliamentary practice and called on the Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir to act in what he termed the best interest of the country.

The Speaker chairs the Committee of Selection, which is responsible for nominating members to the various committees of the National Assembly. While the Committee of Selection and the Business Sub-Committee have been constituted, the opposition has pointed out that several other mandatory committees remain unestablished months after the convening of the current Parliament.