Written By Leroy Smith
DEPUTY Speaker of the Guyana National Assembly, Ms. Deborah Backer has disclosed that the engagement today, between the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Relations and Speaker of the Suriname National Assembly, Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons and delegation will focus on how the two nations can better learn from each other.In a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Backer, who is also Head of that Parliamentary Sectoral Committee, said while people of the two countries speak different languages, the nations have a common border which makes their bond to each other even stronger.
The Deputy Speaker said, because of the common border, the countries will find that the issues which affect Guyana affect Suriname as well.
Backer noted that the parliamentary systems of the two countries make it even more possible and necessary for there to be better cooperation and the establishment of a Parliamentary Association of Guyana and Suriname, which will have to be sanctioned by both parliaments.
Another area of similarity between the two Parliaments is the Proportional Representation (PR) system by which the members are elected, unlike in the other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries where First Past the Post (FPP) is used.
The Surinamese Speaker and her delegation arrived at Ogle International Airport, East Coast Demerara, yesterday afternoon and were greeted by Speaker of the Guyana National Assembly Mr Raphael Trotman and a high level team from Guyana’s Parliament.