…Honouring them while they live, only meaningful way
– says House Speaker Trotman
THE Parliament Office of Guyana is working on an initiative to engage former Members of Parliament in the formation of a ‘Resource Bank’ in which their expertise, skills, advice and knowledge would be used to assist the parliamentary political parties to find common ground where there is deadlock, among other difficulties.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman, told the Guyana Chronicle that he has already begun engaging several of the past MPs on the initiative, but

responses have been mixed: Some of the MPs have indicated an inability to participate because of their present geographical (overseas) location.
Some have also mentioned that because of health issues they will be unable to participate in the initiative; but others have expressed their willingness to work with the group as soon as the Parliament Office is ready.
According to Mr. Trotman, the National Assembly has four committees, and the former members of Parliament are expected to be able to make inputs in these bodies. Moreover, the negotiating abilities of several of those past MPs are expected to facilitate a smoother flow of the operations and decisions of the committees. The committees, according to Trotman, are: Social Services, Foreign Relations, Natural Resources, and Economic Services.
He likened the ‘Resource Bank’ to that of a senate, which Guyana does not have. The Speaker said the former MPs’ pool of resources in the form of knowledge, advice, skills and negotiating ability is expected to be available especially to the new MPs, who wish to seek guidance on matters with which they find difficulty. In the interim, the services to be provided by the ‘Resource Bank’ will be offered voluntarily, Trotman added.
The bank is expected to build bridges and create the atmosphere for a workable Parliament with results that bring a sense of meaningfulness within the work of Parliament, the Speaker told this publication.
This bank is also expected to create yet another avenue for the political parties to meet and have issues addressed, with outcomes that are satisfactory to all sides.
Trotman said many of the former MPs who have not been re-elected are still active in public life and other areas of development for Guyana, and those are the ones he hopes to engage.
According to him, both old and young ex-MPs will forever be meaningful resources for Guyana, given their experience in Parliament, and they should be looked at as admirable citizens.
He said there continues to be discussions with the resource persons about the formalizing of the initiative. A first step towards formalization is to honour long-serving members of Parliament, both past and present. He is of the view that sons and daughters of the soil who served this nation well should be remembered while they are alive, since that is the only meaningful way to show appreciation and reward those who have toiled.
The Speaker said that when persons are honoured, they should be around to share the moment in body and soul.
While addressing the issue of long-serving parliamentarians, the Speaker named Robert Corbin, Gail Teixeira, Reepu Deman Persaud, Harripersaud Nokta, Lance Carberry and Samuel Hinds as those who have made tremendous contribution to this nation through their work in the National Assembly.
He said that during his 14 years as a parliamentarian, he had always admired the long-serving members who would go to the House to represent the interest of the nation. The Speaker feels the time is right for those persons to be respected and given the recognition they deserve for unselfish service to Guyana. He described the work of the National Assembly as exciting and important, and the past MPs as a “very good resource in Parliament.”