Written by Savitri Laikram
SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman disclosed at a press briefing at the conference room of Parliament Buildings, last Monday, that the Speaker of the National Assembly of Suriname, Dr Jennifer Geerling-Simmons is expected to visit Guyana from October 24 to 27 with a 12-member delegation comprising staff and members of the Suriname Parliament, and that he has requested her to stay on as an observer for the upcoming Presiding Officers Conference, which falls under the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

He explained that although Suriname is not a member of the Commonwealth, it is a member of CARICOM, which entitles the Surinamese Parliamentary delegation to stay on and observe the event.

Trotman said that Dr Simmons had been invited by former Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran, and he has taken it upon himself to renew that invitation at every possible opportunity.
He posited that whenever there is a chance to meet Suriname Parliamentary members, he has always reminded them about the pending invitation.
He pointed out that one initiative of this visit is to have Dr Geerling-Simmons hold a special meeting with the female Members of the Guyana Parliament, and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs. Deborah Backer, will host an event for the members to be acquainted with Dr Geerling-Simmons.
Trotman said he recently received word that Dr Geerling-Simmons had accepted the invitation, and has gathered a delegation to visit Guyana.
He described the impending visit as an excellent opportunity for the female Parliamentarians, as reputedly “women do a better job of managing issues and complex situations than men,” thus “this is a good opportunity to test it.”
According to www.womenparlamericas.org Dr. Jennifer Simmons, member of the House of Parliament in Suriname, first entered politics in 1996 as a representative of the National Democratic Party, and has since been elected four times for Parliament. She has served as the Speaker of the House since 2010. Her compassion for people motivated her to study medicine, and she has been active as a medical practitioner (MD), university lecturer, and public health policymaker.
Moreover, she has vast experience in educational innovation and development, which includes the founding of EDUCONS, an NGO promoting information and communications technology (ICT), and she also introduced distance education to Suriname.
After becoming Speaker of the House, Dr. Simmons initiated the Institutional Strengthening Programme for Parliament and the Association of Parliamentarians for the Development of Children and Youth.
She is considered a national icon for independent women, as she is an inspiring visionary and firm believer in self-determination and life-long learning.
Trotman also said that another female guest he is hopeful to have visit Guyana is the Speaker of the Dominica National Assembly, Mrs. Alix Boyd-Knights, who only recently resigned from being president of the Women’s Parliamentary Association (WPA) of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).