– Prime Minister, Former Speaker, Opposition Leader to attend

THE Office of the Speaker, through the National Assembly’s Public Relations Department, has scheduled an intensive one-day workshop for media practitioners.

Under the theme ‘Parliament, The Media and the People’, the overall objective of the Parliamentarians – Journalists event is to promote an improved and productive relationship between Guyana’s Parliament and the media as a means of promoting citizens’ understanding of the work of the major components of Parliament.

Parliament’s Public Relations Officer, Onieka Alphonso-Walton, has indicated that both the current Speaker and both sides of the Assembly share an interest in seeing that Parliamentary reporters, especially, but not excluding columnists, feature writers, editors and publishers, are made aware of the general and procedural routines of the Assembly as well as many of the more technical or legal characteristics of the Parliamentary Standing Orders, among other issues related to fair, balanced and improved coverage before, during and after Sittings.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds is scheduled to deliver remarks at the public opening session as are the Leader of the Opposition and a representative from the Guyana Press Association. Former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran is slated to discuss previous relationships between the local media and the National Assembly.

Scheduled for the Georgetown Club at 09:00 am today, the Public Relations Unit, in collaboration with the Parliament Office and experienced private Public Relations consultants, has invited Guest Speakers and facilitators to address and interact with respect to such issues, as Past and Current Media – Parliament relationships, challenges of coverage, parliamentarians’ concerns during this Tenth Parliament and the origins and evolution of Bills and Laws among other topics already listed.

The Speaker, other officers of the Parliament and Members of Parliament have been invited to share the workshop event with the local journalists.