Can’t print constitution from parliament website

Dear Editor, I downloaded the full 376 pages of the Guyana Constitution from the Guyana Parliament’s website and to my surprise the PDF document is one of the most protected I have ever seen. You are not able to copy extracts, not able to highlight sentences, not able to insert personal comments and most unfortunate, not able to print the document.

The Constitution is the people’s document. They should at least be able to print sections that they are interested in. I have downloaded the PDF version of the US Constitution and there are none of the restrictions I have noted above.

I appeal through this letter to the powers that be, remove the restrictions or at least let the people be able to print their document.

Editor, there are no further amendments to the Constitution on the Guyana Parliament’s website so I assume the document I downloaded is the up-to-date version. Consequently, I bring to your attention two Articles that together pose a question that I would like to be answered.

The first Article is Article 8 which states: The Constitution is the supreme law of Guyana and, if any other law is inconsistent with it, that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void. The second Article is Article 27 which states, in part: Every citizens has the right to free education from nursery to university.

So put together it seems to me that university education should be free because no other requirements elsewhere would supersede the Constitution. From what I understand tuition is required to attend the country’s public University of Guyana. Isn’t this in conflict with the Constitution?

If there were amendments to the Constitution that changed Article 27 it should be made available to the people on the Guyana Parliament’s website.

Matter of fact, there should also be a notice on the Guyana Parliament’s website that Article 90 of the Constitution was voided by the Courts.

Yours faithfully, Vijay Puran