The Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has adopted 10 of 14 recommendations that were made by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC Opposition just one day before today’s sitting of the National Assembly to amend the proposed Local Content Bill.
This was announced by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat during his presentation to open debates on the Local Content Bill in the National Assembly.
He explained that the PPP/C government has spent over a year conducting widespread consultations with various stakeholders to create much needed Local Content legislation.
But the Minister expressed disappointment that government only received recommendations from the APNU/AFC Opposition on Tuesday.
“If there are suggestions from any group including the Opposition members that will strengthen the Local Content Bill and will add to bringing more benefits to Guyanese, we’re open to that, but it is unfortunate that we only received it yesterday and even further, it’s disappointing that we showed with our Chief Whip this morning at 9:30am to hold meeting with members of the Opposition only to be told that only two persons are here and we should deal with it on the floor,” Minister Bharrat expressed.
Nevertheless, the Natural Resources Minister disclosed that government went ahead to include 10 of the 14 amendments proposed by the Coalition Opposition.
“The amendments will strengthen the Bill, and what do we want as a government? We want a strong Local Content Bill; we want a Bill that will bring benefits to Guyanese and if your contribution will do that, then we will accept it,” he posited.
“There was recommendation that we should have a local content oversight committee, so we are saying that we agree but we will call it the local content advisory committee, we agree with that and many others here. For example, on that same committee, a number of agencies were proposed to be on that committee, we said ‘yes’, we don’t have a problem with the National Toshaos Council, we don’t have a problem with the Guyana Bar Association, we don’t have a problem with a representatives from the local petroleum organisation and we don’t have a problem with the parliamentary opposition representatives either, so we are accepting that a member of the parliamentary opposition should be on this local content advisory committee we tabled that,” the Minister added.
Despite this, however, Opposition Member of Parliament David Patterson expressed certain concerns with the proposed local content legislation.
But Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, called out the Opposition MP for nitpicking at issues
“We have the local people at heart. This is our Bill, you did nothing, so don’t come and accuse us of shortchanging locals here when you did nothing for them…every Guyanese is aware of what is taking place in this country. The private sector, in our consultations with them, they said they begged yall for about three years to pass this Bill because of what was taking place right across the length and breadth of Guyana, with foreigners coming into the country and invading, taking over the sector, buy lands, all the river lands on the East Bank, taking over the contracting services, bringing in the heavy-duty equipment to the exclusion of Guyanese. We responded to that…,” Nandlall posited.
