| By Abena RockcliffeA Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is calling for a fully staffed office of the Ombudsman to be reintroduced as opposed to the previous set up that existed.That call was made by APNU’s Dr. Rupert Roopnarine as he responded to a question about the Party’s interest in seeing a functioning Office of the Ombudsman.APNU’s Dr. Rupert RoopnarineAn Ombudsman is an official usually appointed by the government or by Parliament but with a significant degree of independence. One such official is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or violation of rights.The typical duties of an Ombudsman are to investigate complaints and attempt to resolve them. Ombudsmen sometimes also aim to identify systemic issues leading to poor service or breaches of people’s rights.While executives of some developed and developing countries across the world have designated several Ombudsmen, Guyana has remained without one for the last seven years.Guyana has been without an Ombudsman since the retirement of Justice Sheik Mohamed in 2005.This situation captured the attention of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament James Bond, who posed questions in relation to the non-appointment of an Ombudsman to the Minister of Legal Affairs,Jerseys From China, Anil Nandlall in the National Assembly earlier this year.Last Friday, Dr. Roopnarine said that the Office of the Ombudsman is an extremely important Constitutional protection for citizens in Guyana. He highlighted that an Ombudsman is supposed to deal with faults in administration and stated “as we know those are not going away, they are increasing; so we definitely are in need of an Ombudsman.”Further, Dr. Roopnarine asserted that it would be a waste of time to just appoint an Ombudsman and a secretary which was the case when Justice Mohamed was in that office.“It is not simply the appointment of an Ombudsman, but a real staffing to go with the office. He has to have more than a secretary…which is all Justice Mohamed had. He has to have investigative capacity and so on. Without a fully staffed and empowered Office of the Ombudsman, merely appointing an Ombudsman will do very little.”APNU Leader David Granger said that he has been advocating for the appointment of an Ombudsman as APNU sees the importance of it. Granger also pointed to the absence of a tribunal for workers. He said that APNU would like to see the activation of both.He also made mention of the plight of the Police Complaints Authority. According to Granger, that entity appeared before the Disciplined Forces Commission to complain about the financial limits and the lack of investigative capability.“So we would like to see these so-called independent or autonomous commissions working, as we feel like that would strengthen democracy,Cheap NFL Jerseys China,” Granger stated.Meanwhile,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, People Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Clement Rohee told the media that the Party is interested in having an Ombudsman soon.He said however, that even though it is in the interest of the PPP,Wholesale China Jerseys, it is “more squarely” the responsibility of the government to appoint appropriate candidates “we have influence on the government,David Njoku Jersey, but the final call is with the government.”Asked if the PPP is going to push for the speedy appointment of an Ombudsman, Rohee responded “We don’t seek to push the government, which we are a part of, to do anything…We seek to influence the government.”He said that the PPP will be influencing the government on that matter “among other things.”The Office of the Ombudsman is stated as a human rights institution in Guyana.At the national level, most Ombudsmen have a wide mandate to deal with the entire Public Sector, and sometimes also elements of the Private Sector.An Ombudsman has the power to sanction if a citizen feels he or she has been treated unjustly by a high profile member of society,Throwback Jerseys, even a Minister. If the courts have a hold-up in trying the case, the Ombudsman can sanction, after consideration, in accordance with the laws. |
