Parliamentary Sector C'ttee in historic meeting with PM
Guyana Chronicle
December 6, 2003
THE Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources met Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in the Library at Public Buildings on Wednesday to discuss matters related to the sector.
It was one of a number of planned special meetings of the Committee, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported, noting it was the first time in the history of Guyana's Parliament that such a high ranking official chose to interact in this manner with such a Parliamentary Committee.
Committee Chairman Odinga Lumumba said the meeting is indicative of a working parliamentary structure and the objective was to seek clarification on issues relevant to significant natural resources from the responsible Government functionary.
The People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Parliamentarian said meetings of the kind are also to educate the Committee on how the governmental process works.
One example he cited is how the Lands and Surveys Commission allocates land and the procedure by which it is determined whether a plot should be used for housing or agricultural purposes.
Mr. Lumumba described the discussion with Mr Hinds as "informative and excellent" and said the Committee is also expected to have a similar encounter with Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, on natural resources matters that fall under the purview of Office of the President.
That face-to-face with Luncheon would wind up the inaugural phase of such encounters with relevant Government officials, Lumumba said.
Co-Chairman of the Committee, People's National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Abdul Kadir commented that, so far, based on what they have set out to do, the work has been going "relatively smoothly."
He said it "put to rest allegations in some quarters that the follow-up and implementation processes of the communiqué signed by President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Robert Corbin are not working."
Kadir said, because the function of the Committee is information-driven, the first phase of it entails interaction with relevant members of Cabinet, to clarify and get an understanding of the scope and methodology of their work.
Members of the Committee use the sessions also to gain knowledge on Government policies in the respective areas so that they will be better able to embark on the second phase of their mandate, he told GINA.