| By Gary Eleazar The Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Dr William Shija, last evening urged the Parliamentarians present at the launch of the 34th Annual Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to include the young people in the decision making processes.Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Dr William ShijaThe conference is being held in Guyana over the next three days and includes participants from Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Grenada, Guyana,China NFL Jerseys, Jamaica, Nevis, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom.Dr. Shija pointed out to the gathering that people under the age of 30 represented some 60 per cent of the Commonwealth populace and in this day of advanced technology, more and more the stalwarts of politics are looking to the young for advice.He noted that no longer are young people considered leaders of tomorrow, rather they are already current leaders in their own right in every stratosphere spanning from the entrepreneurial to politics.According to Dr Shija, decisions that will affect young people should never be made without an input from them.The CPA Secretary General also informed the gathering that there was the development of an extra budgetary fund that will be used to assist member countries to develop programmes to strengthen their democracies.He noted that while this programme was still in its teething stage, he is listening to the desires of the countries in this region.He however insisted that member countries could assist each other in the strengthening of their democracies.“Let us hold hands and work together,” he urged.Deputy Speaker of Guyana’s National Assembly, Clarissa Reihl urged the gathering to be resolute in their deliberations over the coming days at a meet which will be dominated by the current global economic meltdown, climate change, spending priorities and human rights among other issues.Speaker of the House Ralph Ramkarran in his presentation said that the conference provides a golden opportunity to review and devise strategies to confront the phenomenal challenges facing not just Commonwealth countries, but the entire world.He noted that the enormous task of confronting and staving off the atrocities facing the Commonwealth countries rested on the shoulders of the parliamentarians who must formulate effective policies.Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who delivered the feature address at the formal opening of the Conference said that it was not enough to just call yourself a parliamentarian, but one must confer on how democracy could be strengthened.He emphasised that the parliamentarians must confer with each other on how best they can serve the people that they were elected to serve.Emphasising the need for a strong democracy, Hinds quoted the words of a world renowned philosopher, Aristotle,Cheap Jerseys Online, telling the gathering that the better judge was found in a multitude rather than an individual.He noted how people in a society viewed each other was a determinant of how good a democracy is being enjoyed by those citizens.“Let us reaffirm our commitment to democracy,” urged Hinds.The Prime Minister, who is currently performing the duties of Head of State pointed out the fact that the CARICOM heads recently met and agreed on a range of measures that the CPA conference will be dealing with, but said that the Conference which comprise mainly CARICOM countries, must support the initiatives agreed to.He also charged the CPA to work towards greater unity,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, saying that, “We need to enhance co-operation and speak as one to be a voice on the world stage.”Hinds charged the conference to identify transformational policies aimed at staving off the many challenges facing the countries and implement them in unison.He added also that the work in the respective parliaments will be about confronting challenges and finding efficient solutions.On Thursday last, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, said that Guyana will have a three-member team at the conference consisting of two Government representatives and one from the opposition.Delegates will be debating on socio-economic and political matters that threaten to hinder the region’s development.The Cabinet Secretary stated that Guyana’s presentations at the conference will include the global financial crisis and climate change.The global economic crisis and its consequences for the region, dealing with the social impact of economic crisis,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, environment and climate change, and challenges of public safety and security are on the conference’s agenda.The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.It was founded in 1911, with its first branches being Australia, Canada,Wholesale Jerseys, Newfoundland,Stitched NFL Jerseys, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the latter branch administering the association as a whole.In 1948, the association changed its name to the current Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.The branches are grouped into nine Commonwealth regions – Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific, and South-East Asia. |
