New Parliamentary website for Guyana

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: The launch of a website for the National Assembly has been described as an innovation of vast importance by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, SC. 

Mr. Ramkarran thanked the Government of the United States of America, and its agencies, USAID and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), for the roles played in making the website possible.

Any member of the public with internet access can log on to www.parliament.gov.gy, and access all forms of information as it relates to Guyana's Parliament and its entire legislature. The Speaker also thanked the donor community for its efforts in funding several developmental aspects of the National Assembly.

He said the local Legislature has embarked on a two-part programme of reform. These include Constitutional reform and dialogue and its continuation in the form of constructive engagement.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs describes this as a progressive move. He said the computer must be recognised as a necessary and vital instrument for the development of any individual or group worldwide. Isaacs said the website is geared to put knowledge and information about the National Assembly at the fingertip of every individual.

Country Director of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Michael Murphy said that the inclusion of information technology to the function of the National Assembly will demonstrate better communications and improve productivity in the Parliamentary fray, involving both staffers and members of the legislature.

He said it allows for the more effective use of staff time, while pledging the NDI's commitment and will to work with the Parliamentary staff in training for better efficiency. Murphy said that the website will also provide greater access to an almost unlimited amount of information across the globe.

He said transparency and accountability would be boosted with this new inclusion. Further training for Parliamentary staff will be done by the Institute for Parliamentary Education of the United Kingdom.

Vidya Kissoon of the Sustainable Development Network Programme (SDNP), a collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which also worked on the design and content of the website, said that the launch is a milestone for his group. He said it is a work in progress and will continue to be updated. He said SDNP remains committed to the use of Information Technology to improve the lives of all Guyanese.

The Chief Administrative Officer of the National Assembly, Rawle Small is strongly of the view that the website is designed mainly to make available, research and reference material for everyone in and out of our society.

The National Assembly first sat in 1953 and has been presided over by nine Speakers to date. It is information like this and much more that can be found on the new website.

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