Govt will be held accountable – AG Nandlall 

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday August 11, 2020 

 

“A Government that is not a Government by law, or of law, is a Government that is not legal.” 

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall, was at the time responding to questions on his appointment to office, and the country’s expectation of the Ministry of Legal Affairs. 

Speaking during the ‘Government in Focus’ programme on the National Communications Network (NCN), the AG assured Guyanese that as the principle Legal Advisor to the Government and the President, his office will ensure that the administration traverses along that legal path laid out in the Constitution. 

“Government responsibilities arise out of a pact between the people and the state, that pact or contract is called the Constitution,” Attorney General Nandlall noted. 

The Constitution, he added, captures the aspirations and goals of the people and objectives of the Government.

“Whatever policies the government wishes to implement; whether they be economic; whether they be environmental; whether they be social; they must be done within the legal framework in the country, so that policy does not collide with a Constitution, and a Constitution provision don’t collide with a law,” the Attorney General explained.   

He added that the Parliament is also another avenue where the Executive Government is held accountable. 

“Government is run by public monies, tax payer’s monies, and monies collected from loans, etc. That is the forum where the Government explains how much money it receives and how much money it has to spend and what it is spending it on.”  

On an individual level, the Attorney General says he is also tasked with advising Government on transactions that it may need to enter into, and for this, he is prepared. 

“Every government has to take a loan; the Attorney General has to peruse the terms of rules to see if it meets the legislative framework of the country,” he explained.  

Attorney General Nandlall, who served as the country’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs in the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government from 2011 to 2015, was asked again to serve in the new Cabinet of His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.  

At 47 years old, and with many years of experience in the legal profession, Minister Nandlall says he is happy and is up to the task. 

 

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