Guyanese must find solutions to their problems
by Michelle Elphage
VISITING South African judge Dr Albert Louis Sachs says it is for Guyanese to put their heads together and work out what seems like "inseparable" differences to find solutions to their problems. Speaking from Le Meridien Pegasus yesterday where he is staying, the top South African official said that his visit, organised by the US-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), is to contribute South African experiences towards negotiating a solution for the local political situation. Sachs told the Chronicle that he will be meeting with the major political parties and their leaders between today and tomorrow. He hopes to meet with President Janet Jagan, who was out of the country up to yesterday. She attended a special Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government meeting in the Dominican Republic. CARICOM said last week the dialogue impasse between the two major political parties here, was on the agenda for that meeting along with the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) new stand on Caribbean bananas. The NDI said Friday that Sachs will also be sharing experiences on the constitutional reform process currently underway locally. Sachs' sojourn here, the press statement said, "is part of a worldwide programme which, among other things, facilitates the exchange of experience and knowledge between political parties, members of parliament and regional and local councillors, members of all sectors of civil society and others concerned with democracy and governance". The South African judge acknowledged that he was integrally involved in framing the new South African constitution, and is currently serving in the South Africa Constitutional Court. "It is for Guyanese to say, `except we put our heads together, we will not find a solution to our problems'," Sachs intimated. This is his first visit here, and he is also to meet the key players in the constitutional reform process and is to share with them his insights and experiences from years of studying legal systems and constitutions. Among his specific areas of expertise are: Bill of Rights and gender issues; the legal framework for constitution building; reaching accommodation; and the environment. In collaboration with the Guyana Bar Association, Sachs will also deliver a public lecture today on the topic, `The Politics of Accommodation: Constitution-making in South Africa', at Le Meridien Pegasus. The lecture begins at 19:00hrs and will be held in the Savannah Suite. Sachs, 55, who was actively involved in the civil rights movement in South Africa, lost an arm in 1988 during a car bomb incident. The Judge says he will stay on for Wednesday's One-Day International cricket match between the West Indies and Australia before leaving Guyana on Thursday.
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