The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is alarmed that the political parties are moving ahead with the rights commissions without addressing the flaws in the legislation establishing them. The association said in a release on Wednesday that it was making "vigorous representation to both the Government and the Opposition Parties to avoid repeating the tyranny of deadlines thereby jeopardising the Commissions."
The GHRA wants the Standing Committee on Constitution Reform to review the flaws in the Act to which it has drawn attention and for the public to be given the opportunity to make written submissions addressing them.
The GHRA release noted that among other things the Human Rights Commission has neither its own membership save that of the Chairperson nor any powers or staff of its own.
It asserts that the interlocking membership structure of the Commission is inoperable and that "the anomalies were the direct result of the pressures imposed by the electoral deadline under which the Oversight Committee and legal drafters were forced to operate."
The release noted the deadlines specified in the communiqué issued after the Jagdeo-Corbin meetings on May 2 and 5, but said that while it welcomed the sense of urgency in activating the commissions, "the urgency referred to should be focused on initiating the work not its completion."