Constitutional reform
As talks about constitutional reform return to the front burner, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said he is currently more concerned about the ongoing breaches of the present Constitution by the Government.
On the heels of a constitutional reform symposium organised by the Carter Centre with support from the UK, the former President also expressed concerns about the role of the international community as well as the process by which the current Administration is seeking to bring about constitutional reform. 
Jagdeo told media operatives that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) remains committed and open to the concept of improving the Constitution however he had grave reservations about a number of issues.
“We’re still a bit confused as to which external agency the Government has requested to work with them on the whole process of constitutional reform (and) we have grave concerns about the process about constitutional reform,” the Opposition Leader noted.
He explained that Government has treated the matter as a task of the Executive, excluding the majority of stakeholders, including political and civil society representatives.
Moreover, Jagdeo said the Administration is still to make pellucid what exactly it wishes to reform.
However, he said the burning question should be what can be done to ensure there is respect for the Constitution.
“Why should we be pursuing a new round of constitutional reform when the Government does not even respect the things we have agreed to in the past?” he reasoned.
Jagdeo said, for the past few months, there has been nothing but blatant disrespect and bypass of the Constitution by officials of the Government, accusing even the President David Granger.
Jagdeo said matters range from the snubbing of the Constitution about the appointment of a Guyana Elections Commission Chairman, the bypassing of the Director of Public Prosecution’s Office to facilitate the operations of State Assets Recovery Unity and Special Organised Crime Unit, the Carvil Duncan issue, among others.
According to the Opposition Leader, the issue of respect for the Constitution should perhaps be first addressed before the matter of reform is given any serious attention.
Meanwhile, during the forum which was held at the Education Lecture Theatre of the University of Guyana, there were calls for reforms to the electoral system, more accountability on campaign financing, among others.
Constitutional reform had featured prominently in the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change coalition’s pre-elections manifesto, but no Government Minister was present during the forum.
Many believe that its promise has turned into a paradigmatic example of foot-dragging.
The only hint of the status of the constitutional reform process was the establishment of a “Steering Committee for Constitutional Reform” (SCCR) in September 2015, which held extensive hearings and took submissions from the populace at large. These were summarised and submitted to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in April 2016. He, in turn, submitted the Report to Cabinet, which had a “Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission Bill” drafted, then further “deliberated” on it. The Report then seemed to have disappeared into a black hole.
Then in November last, Nagamootoo requested $80 million for wider consultations on the matter.
In February 2018, Guyanese learnt that a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mission was in Guyana at the request of Prime Minister to “(i) assess the political environment in Guyana and the legal and institutional framework governing the constitutional reform process; (ii) review past reform processes; (iii) evaluate the interest, capacity and roles of the various civil and political stakeholders in engaging in the constitutional reform process; and (iv) assess the potential role of UNDP-UNDPA in assisting this process and resources required.”
Reports indicate that the UNDP team came, met, and then departed without their assessment being made public, or the public being consulted.
