Heads of sectoral committees elected

TIMES INT'L

The National Assembly has moved closer to the fulfillment of its oversight role and function by electing last Thursday the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the four constitutionally mandated sectoral standing committees.
In a release, the Parliament office said the Economic Services Committee will be chaired by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Manzoor Nadir with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP Carl Greenidge serving as vice chairman.
The Foreign Relations Committee will be chaired by APNU MP Deborah Backer, with PPP/C MP Bibi S Shadick as her deputy. The Natural Resources Committee will be chaired by APNU MP Dr Rupert Roopnarine with PPP/C MP Odinga Lumumba as vice chairman, while the Social Services Committee will be chaired by PPP/C MP Indranie Chandarpal and Volda A Lawrence serving as vice chairman.
According to the Parliament Office release, Article 119B of the Constitution mandates that the National Assembly shall establish these four committees, which have the responsibility for the scrutiny of all areas of government’s policy and administration. These Oversight Committees are unique to Guyana as no other Parliament in the English speaking Caribbean has a Parliamentary Committee System such as this.
Additionally, and just as uniquely, the Constitution mandates that the chairpersons and vice chairpersons shall come from opposite sides of the National Assembly. Following the elections of the chairpersons and vice chairpersons, the Speaker congratulated those elected and charged them to carry out their tasks to scrutinise the government’s policy and administration fearlessly and uncompromisingly, and to visit communities nationwide and not remain cloistered within the committee rooms of the National Assembly.

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