– IDB official lauds its success
Officials attending the exit workshop for the Modernisation of the Justice Administration System (MJAS) project on Monday reported that the project was successful and urged that the modernisation thrust be continued.
The MJAS was approved in 2006 and implementation began in 2007 through a US$25 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who addressed the participants at the workshop at Duke Lodge, pointed to the achievements made under the project.
He noted the amended and new laws and legislation, training for personnel within the sector, preparation for voice recognition recordings in the courts, updating and digitalising of the law reports and the laws of Guyana, legal awareness campaign and increased access to justice for Guyanese.
He specifically observed that the voice recognition system recordings will be first implemented in the Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal and the Constitutional and Administrative Law Court. Minister Nandlall pointed out that the systems are being procured and would replace the manual recording system which would enhance the integrity of these court records.
Minister Nandlall also registered his disappointment that members of the legal profession have not taken advantage of the printing of the law reports.
IDB Country Economist Mark Wenner said the organisation is proud of the achievements of the project, which he described as successful. Wenner observed that the goal of the programme was to enhance the investment climate and rights enforcement in Guyana through improved public sector governance.
To achieve this goal, the IDB sought, through the project, to help the government of Guyana strengthen the accountability and administrative efficiency of service delivery in the justice sector, enhance linkages and coordination among justice sector institutions and improve access to justice.
The operation had a policy-based component supported by a US$15 million loan and an investment and technical component backed by a US$10 million investment loan. The policy-based component supported the adoption of a series of policy reforms, including legislative and administrative actions that are necessary to improve the accountability, efficiency and accessibility of Guyana’s justice system.
Reform programme
The investment component helped implement the policy reform programme and support initial capacity-building activities in justice sector institutions. Guided by the Justice Sector Reform Strategy, the programme was prepared on the basis of an extensive consultation exercise involving all the institutions in the justice sector, as well as other stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector.
Wenner endorsed the reforms made which he commended. “Implementing judicial reform is extremely complex, it is tough and daunting because it involves many different governmental institutions, and touches upon a very arcane and complex subject matter, as well as one of the greatest sensitivity to the general populace,” Wenner said.
He observed while there is much remaining to be done, he is positive that the government of Guyana would do what is necessary for the citizens of Guyana.
Project Coordinator Justice Claudette Singh pointed out that important issues in the project were addressed.
Those include the severe case backlog, the refurbishing of courts, increase number of judicial officers and their training, publication of law reports and their indices which are also online, the establishment of a director of public prosecution office in Berbice and the computerisation of several connected systems, among other aspects.
Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill observed that improving criminal justice was one of the aims of the project, along with the strengthening of the Legal Affairs Ministry. Additionally, the improvement of the laws of Guyana and the strengthening of linkages among justice institutions was another target, all of which were achieved.
Executive’s commitment
Minister Edghill also pledged the ministry’s and the executive’s commitment towards supporting the modernisation of the justice sector, to ensure that Guyanese have justice. Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh said the programme touched several sectors of the judiciary, pointing out that the lynch-pin was the expectation of revised rules of the High Court.
“Revised rules or no revised rules, the performance of the judges in the Supreme Court is inadequate and criticism in that regard is wholly justified… but there has been improvement and that must be recognised,” the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported the acting chancellor as saying.
