Nandlall: Executive and judiciary working together on justice sector reforms

The executive and judiciary are working in concert on a shared justice reform agenda, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has said, highlighting ongoing consultations aimed at strengthening Guyana’s justice sector.

Speaking on his weekly programme, Issues in the News, Nandlall noted that President Irfaan Ali deliberately avoided a unilateral approach in outlining his vision for the justice sector, instead engaging the judiciary to incorporate its input into government policy.

“By itself and without more, it demonstrates good governance at work, and it is an illustration of democratic and consultative governance and government at play,” Nandlall said, emphasising the importance of collaboration between the executive and independent institutions.

He added that while executives often project their own priorities for agencies such as the judiciary, President Ali chose to consult the judicial branch before presenting his vision during his recent national address. “Those accusations [of executive interference] cannot be levelled here because the president consulted with the judiciary, and in the main, articulated many of the concepts which the judiciary itself highlighted to the president in their consultation,” Nandlall said.

The minister highlighted that the engagement between the two branches revealed significant alignment on key priorities, a development he said bodes well for constitutional stability and national development. “The common thread that ran through the engagement between the executive and the judiciary produced important common trends, as both agencies are aligned in many significant respects,” he noted, adding that “there should not be a collision course between these two important agencies.”

Nandlall said this alignment has already translated into tangible improvements in access to justice. Over the past five years, the executive and judiciary have collaborated on the expansion and modernisation of magistrates’ courts, particularly in outlying and hinterland regions. “The judiciary itself recognises how important it is for it to make its services accessible to all,” he said, noting that courts now have similar facilities and technological capabilities regardless of location.

“So a court at Mahdia has the same facilities as the court in Georgetown, a court at Port Kaituma has the same facilities as the court at New Amsterdam,” Nandlall said, illustrating the strides made toward uniform service delivery across the country.

Looking ahead, he said further consultations are planned as part of ongoing justice reforms, including efforts toward the digital transformation of the justice system, which aim to enhance efficiency and accessibility nationwide.