Nikoli Edwards: Appoint Mediation Board

PROGRESSIVE Party political leader Nikoli Edwards is calling on the Prime Minister and Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, to ensure a mediation board is appointed.

In a statement on Thursday, Edwards recalled that the Mediation Act, 2004, provides a system to deliver mediation as an alternative form of dispute resolution.

"That is, citizens have the option to have many of their conflicts dealt with by mediators as opposed to bringing their matters to court," Edwards said. "This has been a proven way to save on time and money and allows for a resolution that is far less adversarial as it does not seek to present a winner and a loser, but rather all interested parties emerge with a level of success."

On the absence of a board, Edwards said, "This lapse occurred under former attorney general Faris Al-Rawi and has continued under his successor. "

Armour replaced Al-Rawi as AG in a Cabinet reshuffle on March 16.

Edwards said, "There are many citizens, including me, who have pursued studies in mediation to help offer solutions to how we deal with conflicts across this country.

"We have applied for certification and are yet to have our applications attended to, as there is no board in place."

Edwards said the government could not claim to be serious about dealing with crime and violence "while at the same time not providing viable avenues to deal with the conflicts citizens face daily."