GLSC Board to study legislative review’s complete report

Land management harmonization

The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) Board of Directors will soon study a report on land management in Guyana, following a review by three Guyanese law students from the Hugh Wooding Law School.

The preliminary report of the review, conducted by law students Glendon Greenidge, Joshua Benn and Erica Capell, detailed examination of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission Act, the Guyana Forestry Commission Act, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Act, the Amerindian Act and the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agricultural Development Authority Act.

From left: Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn; law students Glendon Greenidge, Joshua Benn, and Erica Capell, and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon at the Ministry of the Presidency
From left: Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn; law students Glendon Greenidge, Joshua Benn, and Erica Capell, and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon at the Ministry of the Presidency

The review also addressed land leases and it recommended the amendment of laws to reflect the kind of inter-agency harmony that is supposed to exist.

The preliminary report was on Monday handed over to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon by Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of GLSC, Trevor Benn at the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP).

Benn explained that the students were asked to review the laws and to make recommendations to address the gaps, which they completed within three weeks. The report, he said, will also be presented to the Board of the GLSC for its review and recommendations.

Minister Harmon, who had directed the Commission to look into the harmonisation of the laws that deal with land use and management, said that land was always the subject of some kind of controversy in Guyana. He explained that the entire viability of the GLSC was dependent on it being able to exercise the authority, which it was given by law.

“The extent to which you have overlapping of authority is the extent to which persons, who are the beneficiaries of State lands sort of dodge in between the raindrops… rather than paying [their] lease[s]… so rather than having a very clear, defined position ,people utilised that lacuna in the law to be able to benefit themselves,” Harmon said.