–President Ali tells Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference
–urges stakeholders to examine value systems, redefinition of democracy

DEMOCRACY in many countries is often heavily politicised; however, the true definition of democracy reflects all aspects of society and economic development, President, Dr Irfaan Ali has said.
“Democracy is about society. It is about the country, it is about every walk of life, it’s about civil society, It is about the private sector, [and] it is about government. It is about every aspect of societal life [that] must uphold the value system of democracy,” President Ali said during his address at the 46th Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), held in Georgetown.

The President urged stakeholders to examine the value systems of democracy, noting that it must not only be viewed as “just a political” system, but rather as a system that transcends beyond the politicking.
“We shoot ourselves in the leg when we somehow believe that this democracy that we speak about is only at the parliamentary level and only at the government level.
“Democracy is that engine that drives development, the shield that protects human dignity and the framework that enables society to thrive. When democracy flourishes so too does economic development. When the rights of the people are upheld, when the voices are heard and when representatives act in their best interest, nations are empowered to reach their full potential,” Dr. Ali said.

He further reiterated that it is not just a political commitment and requires parliamentarians to examine their own internal affairs, confronting democracy in modern parliament and examining its value system.
Pointing to electoral systems, Dr. Ali said that elections are a core pillar of democracy, and while parliamentarians are representatives chosen through that democratic process, they themselves must ensure that their internal elections reflect the tenets of democracy.
“Many times you will see cracks in democracy at the foundation level; so many times we focus on the outcome of what should be democratic principles, what should be democratic arena. So we focus on the outcome, but democracy must transcend every walk of life. It must transcend every action within the society, if we are to build and make it a national architecture,” the President said.

He further challenged stakeholders to establish an action plan that is implementable, and commit to same.
“This conference, which assembles some of the greatest minds and dedicated practitioners of parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic region …. I am confident that your deliberations will do justice to the timely and relevant theme chosen for this conference—‘Democracy: Challenges facing modern parliaments”,” President Ali said.

The CPA is being held from September 1 – 7, 2024. The regional conference will bring together parliamentarians and clerks from jurisdictions across the CPA CAA Region for discussions on the theme.
Highlighting Guyana’s own challenges with democracy, President Ali pointed out that many of its partners have stood alongside the country to ensure the rule of law was safeguarded in the light of several threats.
“It is our regional partners, it is CARICOM [Caribbean Community] and CARICOM’s principle[d] position that was a part of the process in ensuring that our democracy remained strong and alive.

“The UK [United Kingdom] and the EU [European Union], they also played an important role and of course the Commonwealth Secretary General and the Commonwealth itself played a key and critical role in ensuring democracy was secured in Guyana and remains alive,” he said.
Dr. Ali related that Guyana’s political evolution has been marred by the pervasion of democratic rule for almost three decades, followed by the restoration of democracy, and then an aborted attempt to subvert democratic elections.
President Ali, as such, believes that the hosting of this year’s conference in Guyana is timely and the country can be a case study for further discussions.
He noted that the country’s experience also offers an insight into the relationship of democracy, the rule of law, development and stability.

“When you look at periods of democratic threats or periods when the rule of law is threatened and correlate that with economic expansion, economic impact, social fragments and crime, you will see that there is positive correlation, because threats to the democracy is a threat to the ecosystem of the country,” the Head of State said.

Guyana’s journey, he said, has been marked by highs and lows accompanying the struggle for political and parliamentary democracy.
Throughout the week, a series of Plenary Sessions will be held in the Chamber and in Committee Rooms One and Two at the Public Buildings, Brickdam, Georgetown. The sessions will cover critical topics including Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare Access for Women and Girls, Gender Sensitive

Parliaments – Toolkit/Guidelines, Peace and Security, and Migration.
Concurrently, the week of activities will see the hosting of the 17th Regional Youth Parliament, where youth parliamentarians from across the Region will debate topical issues