– but cites areas for improvement in legislature

THE Coalition Government was highly commended for its aggressive attempt at moulding a cohesive nation by Secretary-General (SG) to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Mr Akbar Khan, who held a press conference on Friday, before observing the sitting of the House.

Khan is on an official bilateral follow-up visit to Guyana which aims to observe the progress government has made since being elected to office three years ago.
One of the areas that Khan posited as most pleasing is the progress being made in the area of social cohesion, which is in alignment with the development goals of the United Nations as well as the CPA which is committed to democratic governance.

Khan, who has Guyanese roots, said he visited the social cohesion day activities and it was most humbling for him. “To see young people yesterday addressing core issues through presentation, music and other forms of collaboration and interaction was extremely humbling … it is very pleasing to see the Government leading in social cohesion, it is only the third year … I believe very much that the future of every nation is around the celebration with respect to diversity … I am extremely pleased to see real genuine and meaningful attempts to move forward on social cohesion,” Khan told the media.

He also commended President David Granger, on the efforts to connect the hinterland and capital by providing equal services for both groups of residents and also by providing a platform for a competitive and entrepreneurial environment for young people.

“It is a great pleasure to be able to come back to Guyana in order to see the progress that has been made since 2015,” Khan posited. He also commended the Government for strides taken in promoting the green economy.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Khan noted that in any legislature, as in the case of Guyana’s, there are areas for improvement in the way matters are handled in the House. As a representative of an organisation that has a mandate to promote parliamentary democracy, it was important to follow up on how parliament has been functioning, with visits to key stakeholders, including the Speaker of the House Dr. Barton Scotland and members of the Opposition. He reminded the Members of Parliament of the image they portray and that they are representing the best interest of the electorate.

“Coming out of the elections in 2015, there were clearly some issues which needed to be addressed and three years later, I would wish to see a better degree of conjugality between the Opposition and Government in terms of working together on issues of national concern both on the floor of the House and at committee sessions,” he said.
Khan alluded to the issue in December of 2017, where members of the Guyana Police Force had to be called in to sanction some Members of Parliament. Situations such as those, he said, warranted an investigation by the Speaker.

Khan said that while opposition is necessary for crucial decision-making, such opposition in the House must be critical and not flimsy. “Rather than to oppose for the sake of opposing, opposition for the sake of opposition doesn’t help… constructive opposition is key to good decision-making,” he said.

The Secretary-General will be visiting the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo before he departs for St Kitts and Nevis within the next few days.