News

At the culmination of robust presentations from various visiting and virtual Parliamentary Organisations over two days, the curtains are now closed on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Training Seminar conducted for Members of the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. 

Speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon. Manzoor Nadir, M.P., expressed his appreciation to the CPA, Parliamentary Organisations, and visiting delegates for their assistance in organising the Training Seminar. 

Speaker Nadir further thanked the Members of Parliament for their participation and urged that they profit from the knowledge gained.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana, Hon. Lenox Shuman, M.P., during his closing remarks, said that the Seminar was enlightening and enriching. 

During closing remarks, the Clerk of the National Assembly of Guyana, Mr. Sherlock E. Isaacs, A.A., spoke about the relevance of the topics chosen for the Seminar and believes that it is in keeping with the task of the Parliament.

CPA Training Seminar: Day 2

The first session for the morning period focused on Scrutinizing Technical Legislation. The presenters provided members with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate complex legislation on technical matters, among other strategies. 

For this session, Clerk of Legislation, UK House of Commons, Mr. Liam Laurence Smyth, Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, Ms. Ronna- Rae Leonard, and CPA Secretary-General and former Member of the UK House of Commons, Mr. Stephen Twigg, all presented virtually. 

During the second session, dubbed Services and Resources, Members learned more about the services and facilities available to them.

Conducting the Presentations for this session was the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, Clerk of the National Assembly of Guyana, Mr. Sherlock E. Isaacs, A.A., and Member of the Parliament of Ghana, Hon. Collins Dauda.

The third session dealt with the Administration and Financing of Parliament. 

Conducting that session was a Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, Hon. Janet Routledge and Clerk Assistant at the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, Mr. Artour Sogomonian.

During the afternoon, a session on Innovating 21st Century Parliaments and how the Parliament of Guyana may implement innovations through emerging trends and technology to aid and improve parliamentary practices and procedures.

The session highlighted examples from other parliaments of how to implement such innovations. 

There were virtual presentations, for this session, from the Chief Executive Officer of Bússola Tech, Mr. Luís Kimaid, Parliamentary Counsel, Office of the Clerk, Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Mr. William Wong, Deputy Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Hon. Beverley Schäfer, and Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha, Parliament of India, Mr. Satpal Gulati. 

The next session dealt with Political Parties, Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution. 

During this session, the presenters delved into various other areas, with particular emphasis on the role of members and how these roles are organised by parties. 

They also touched on how beneficial results can be achieved through the employ of political diplomacy and how to build a bipartisan working relationship. 

The Panel consisted of the Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, Hon. Janet Routledge, Member of the Parliament of Ghana, Hon. Collins Dauda, Member of the National Assembly of Suriname, Hon. Harriët Ramdien, and presenting virtually Member of the Parliament of Rwanda, Hon. Rubagumya Furaha Emma.

The final session focused on achieving and maintaining a diversity of perspectives within the legislature, with a keen emphasis on youth engagement through outreaches. Speakers Nadir and Annisette-George were joined physically by a Member of the National Assembly of Suriname, Hon. Ebu Jones and virtually by the Director-General of ParlAmericas, Ms. Alisha Todd, and Information Specialist, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Mr. Andy Richardson. 

After the sessions, the participating members were given the floor for a question-and-answer segment. 

To conclude the day’s events, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon. Manzoor Nadir, M.P., hosted a Dinner Reception for the Members of Parliament, visiting delegates, and staff of the Parliament Office at the New Thriving Restaurant.