Plans are being streamlined to give the public more access to the work of the National Assembly and this could see loudspeakers being installed outside the Public Buildings and a dedicated channel to broadcast parliamentary sittings.
Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman told reporters during a press conference on Thursday that Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman has put in a motion for loudspeakers to be placed outside the Public Buildings. “Because we are in 2012 the consideration is also being given to put in huge television monitors so that persons can also see what is happening on the inside. Maybe that park that the ministry (of Housing) has set up next door is a good place to start,” he said.
Reporters were also informed that live internet streaming is also being considered.
Trotman said a suggestion box—dubbed “the speaker’s box”—has been set up outside the building and any member of the public can place his or her complaints or suggestions for MPs or for the enhancement of the National Assembly, in the box.
Speaking more on other plans to reach out to the public, he said that around May 28, the library department of the Parliament Office will hold an independence exhibition. He said it is being held after the actual date because other agencies, including the National Library, National Archives and University of Guyana, will also be holding exhibits during that period.
Following this, he said, around the second week of June, there will be an outreach programme across the country where parliament staff and MPs will give lectures on the affairs of parliament. In some instances, he said, the outreach would actually be an opportunity for career guidance. Schools, especially those that had previously visited Parliament Buildings on a tour will also be part of the outreach.
Trotman told reporters that also in June, there will be a series of lectures beginning on or about the second week. Opposition leader David Granger in conjunction with the University of Guyana’s History Department will be delivering a lecture on the pre-independence Parliament, Trotman said noting that the next lecture will be by UG and hopefully the third will be by the Prime Minister. He said that at the end of the series, the idea is to compile and publish the lectures.
Later, in responding to questions from the media, the Speaker stated that the parliament staff is excited by the increased interest in the National Assembly by the activities. “The place has become a hotbed for intrigues and for things of a national nature to be discussed and settled and it is an exciting time for the staff, for anyone who is here to be a part of something different that is unfolding in Guyana,” he stressed.
Asked about the possible need for Parliament to have its own television channel, Trotman said that this is an idea that is being actively pursued by the public relations officer. He said that at the moment there is a draft proposal that they are “considering for the establishment of a media centre from which all media can access information and I was surprised to hear one minister say recently that the time has come for us to have an independent TV channel.”
He explained that the idea would be for the Parliament to have its stand alone media centre with its own cameras and then to have dedicated channels, at least on days when the assembly is in session.
