Professional Associations Bill Could Carry Greater Risk, Abril Gordienko Warns, Citing Nicaragua Precedent

A proposal to eliminate mandatory membership in professional associations could do far more than decide whether professionals belong to those bodies, lawmaker Abril Gordienko warned.

The Social Christian Unity Party deputy questioned the controls, costs and scope of the bill, saying it could give the government a greater role in supervising professional practice. Her concern centers on a possible concentration of powers in the state.

Gordienko also challenged the government's ability to carry out that oversight effectively. She cited Nicaragua as a precedent while warning that the bill could produce consequences beyond its stated goal of changing membership requirements.

The debate therefore reaches beyond the associations themselves. It concerns who would regulate professionals, how that control would operate and whether the state has the capacity to assume the responsibility.