Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Charles Ramson
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Charles Ramson has refuted opposition claims that there is a lack of judicial and law reforms taking place in Guyana.
Addressing parliamentarians during the 2011 National Budget debate, Minister Ramson said that, over the last 18 years, government has managed to significantly improve the quality of life of all Guyanese through prudent economic and financial management.
Ramson said it is clear that government has worked tirelessly to ensure that overall development is secured in Guyana.
A focused legal affairs minister also stated that continuous transformation of the justice system and the overall judiciary is a priority.
He argued quite strongly that government remains committed to modernising the law reform and judicial review processes.
The attorney general explained that several modern pieces of legislation have been devised, passed and implemented under this government’s tenure; legislation that could have only been dreamt of under the People’s National Congress Reform’s tenure.
Minister Ramson told the house that government is proud of the recent spate of modern legislation which has been passed to transform and regulate the manner in which the business relating to the judiciary takes place. He listed examples, such as the alternative dispute resolution law, mediation law, anti- terrorism and money laundering laws, and the new legislation that makes audio/visual material now acceptable as evidence in the court of law as only indications of the transformation that has taken place with respect to law reforms.
The legal affairs minister also explained to the house that the ministry has taken firm steps, not only to ensure that all of the updated and amended laws are available to the public, judiciary and lawyers in general, but that those pieces of legislation are made available on the Internet, on CDs and in printed (hard copy) forms.
He said that such a move was necessary and signals another major achievement with respect to law reform in Guyana, noting that it would put an end to the many excuses that are made by legal counsels and parliamentarians with respect to the availability and accessibility of core pieces of legislation.
