Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 15, 2008 News
Essequibians who cannot afford to pay for legal services will now be able to benefit from a legal aid clinic that was launched in Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, yesterday by Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand.
The simple ceremony was attended by scores of residents, members of Parliament as well as eminent attorneys, among who was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Georgetown Legal Aid Clinic, Ashton Chase, who announced that the name of the body will soon be changed to the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic (GLAC).
This is due to the fact that legal aid services can now be accessed in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10.
Government is obligated to provide Legal Aid Services (LAS) for underprivileged citizens, given that it is guaranteed in the Constitution, as well as under the United Nation Declaration of Human Rights.
Regarding the importance of LAS, former Attorney General Mohamed Shahabudeen is quoted as saying “maintenance of the rule of law is meaningless unless the individual citizen who feels aggrieved is in a position to obtain the necessary legal services to ventilate his grievance and seek redress.”
According to Manickchand, utilizing the law is the right of citizens and with the launch of LAS, it will provide a means for the enforcement of those rights.
“We are putting this in place to ensure that the poor people of the country have access to legal services.”
She told the audience that there is lots of talk of law and order and its maintenance and the GLAC gives people the tools to improve their livelihood and access better services.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairperson of the Regional Woman’s Affairs Committee, Juliet Coonjah, speaking on behalf of the residents, expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the LAS, saying that Essequibians have won a battle that has been waging for a long time.
According to Coonjah, it was since in the days of former Minister of Human Services Indra Chandrapaul who took office in 1992 that the people of Essequibo have been lobbying for LAS.
“Today it’s a reality…we have LAS in Essequibo.”
In presenting his feature address, Chase told the gathering of primarily Essequibians that legal aid is aimed at assisting persons who cannot afford the services of a lawyer and urged them to take full advantage of the service.
“We are all equal in the eyes of the law so each person should be able to benefit from the services of lawyers.
“As long as a person is assessed and deemed unable to pay the price of what a private practitioner would charge, or if you need to know what your legal rights are or need a lawyer to represent you in court, then you qualify for LAS.”
In the early 1970s, Catholic Priest, Father Campbell-John and several lawyers, including Miles Fitzpatrick and Joseph King, started a legal advice clinic.
It was originally based at the David Rose Centre but was later moved to the Church and Murray (now Quamina) Streets location.
The lawyers at that time would visit the clinic once or twice a week to give free legal advice.
In time, the centre expanded, moving to premises of its own, employing a legally qualified manager and support staff and offering legal advice and representation to persons on an assessment basis.
In 1974 the centre was incorporated as a company, limited by guarantee, and some private practitioners continued to give voluntary service.
Funding was obtained from the Caribbean Council of Churches and agencies in the USA and Canada.
No funding was forthcoming from the government of the day and when in the early 1980s the overseas source of funding dried up, the centre was forced to close its doors in February1983.
Most of the work done by the centre was in the area of civil law.
Efforts were also made to inform people of their legal rights through ‘The Law and You’ radio broadcasts.
In March 1994, the GLAC was opened and to date has assisted in excess of 12, 000 persons.
In 2007 subventions to the LAS was extended to $32M which has allowed the service to expand outside of Region Four.
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