Dear Editor,
The ongoing failure to constitute the full slate of mandatory parliamentary sub-committees, months after the 13th Parliament was convened, raises profound questions about the quality of stewardship of our National Assembly. This delay transcends mere administrative inconvenience; it represents a staid erosion of the democratic oversight mechanisms that form the cornerstone of our constitutional framework.
Parliamentary records will confirm that the period since September 2025 now constitutes the longest in Guyana’s history during which the National Assembly has sat without its full complement of committees. This situation carries serious implications for good governance. Most notably, the absence of the Public Accounts Committee means that the scrutiny of public spendings through the examination of Auditor General Reports remains in abeyance, depriving the nation of essential financial accountability. Now the 2026 National Budget is $1,500,000,000,000 ($1.5 trillion) and at this Manzoor Nadir rate of response, we will be scrutinizing that by 2029, long after it has been spent with no one held accountable for any leakages in the system.
Furthermore, the delay in constituting Sectoral Committees effectively insulates government policy from the rigorous examination that these bodies are designed to provide. This pattern appears consistent with a troubling tendency that manifested itself most recently at the Republic Day Flag Raising Ceremony, where established conventions regarding the recognition of the Leader of the Opposition were disregarded. Such developments risk creating an environment where the voices of approximately forty-six percent of the electorate are systematically marginalised.
The current situation becomes particularly alarming when considered against the backdrop of the extant territorial threat from Venezuela. The non-constitution of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform and the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Security Sector means that critical matters pertaining to our national security and constitutional development cannot advance. This state of affairs appears difficult to reconcile with Standing Order 80, which mandates that specified Standing Committees be established at the commencement of each Parliament. The plain language of the Standing Orders suggests an intention that these bodies be operational without protracted delay.
The tangible consequences of this situation extend beyond immediate oversight gaps. If the present precedent stands, then as Karma always have it, one day when the PPP is in opposition, a future Speaker may, at his discretion, delay the constitution of mandatory committees for an extended period. Is this the sort of legacy Mr. Manzoor Nadir want to be associated with him? There is a risk that the balance of power shifts imperceptibly away from the Legislature and towards the Executive and you do not want a Harmon/Granger type Government to be in such a position to continue what is happening today under Dr. Irfaan Ali. A Parliament that sits without its committees is akin to a court sitting without a jury, where the essential mechanisms for justice and accountability are rendered inoperative.
It is therefore encouraging that the Opposition Chief Whip, Ms. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley from the WIN Party, has formally written to Speaker Nadir seeking a timeline for the establishment of the remaining Standing Committees, referencing the clear mandate of the Standing Orders. The Speaker is not a law unto himself, and it is now incumbent upon him to provide that timeline and to act upon it without further delay. The health of our democracy depends upon it.