At the opening of the 11th Parliament on Wednesday, several new parliamentarians were sworn in and the rookies are excited and eager to play their role in the law-making forum.
Audwin Rutherford of the Alliance For Change (AFC) who is representing Region 10 told Stabroek News that as he was a Linden councilman for three years, he knew what his expectations of Parliamentarians were and as such, would seek to emulate the same level of leadership and representation. He said that for the first time, Region 10 representation would be reflected thoroughly in the National Assembly.
“This is the first time in fact that Linden might be getting three Parliamentarians and that is a breakthrough,” he explained. The new parliamentarian spoke of the need for job creation saying that his lobbying efforts would be aimed in this direction. “Investment is the key to job creation,” he asserted.
Rutherford noted that the Linden Technical Institute is producing graduates but unfortunately many are not employed in their trade. “People are moving away from their particular skills…doing things unconventional to their skills,” he stated.
He said that the stage has to be set to ensure that when graduates enter the world of employment, their skills are valued and recognized. Rutherford said that it was simple, “the people must be empowered.” He said that many Region 10 residents are skilled and are eager to contribute to the economic development of the nation.
One of two of APNU’s Region 10 representatives, Jermaine Figueira echoed Rutherford’s call for job creation and more inclusive tertiary education. “Region 10 in particular has been fighting for some time to get an arm of the University of Guyana in Region 10 because we have thousands of young people in Region 10 that attend the university, definitely from a regional angle we will try out best,” he asserted.
Figueira said that as a first time Parliamentarian he is looking forward to seeing how the government’s vision at the Executive level would transmit and evolve in the Legislative branch.
He told Stabroek News that for years, Linden and various other Region 10 communities have been disenfranchised and with a branch of the University of Guyana within the region, this could be reversed. In the short term, according to Figueira, employment would be guaranteed with the construction of University facilities, which would later turn into medium and long term employment for lecturers and auxiliary staff.
Charrandass Persaud of the AFC representing Region 6 lightened the air when he spoke about the excitement of being in Parliament for the first time. He said that while he was extremely nervous, he was also extremely honoured and privileged to be representing the residents of the region.
He echoed sentiments by the other new MPs saying that he is looking to take news of development strategies to his region and ensure real and tangible ways to see economic and social development. Persaud highlighted that he wanted to see sports be taken seriously because youth development was key to the overall comprehensive vision of the government.
The AFC’s Michael Carrington said that he wanted to see the government accept inclusionary democracy given the support levels of various political parties across the country. He said that if a party was to win a particular constituency, that party should be have the right to freely govern.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan entered the 11th Parliament as a technocrat. He said that it was challenging but he was up to the task. Jordan would have worked under former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh but stated that his experience as an MP would differ significantly.
The other new faces include the AFC’s Haimraj Rajkumar, Noel Holder, Minister of Agriculture; Dominic Gaskin, Minister of Business and David Patterson, Minister of Public Infrastructure.
Rajcoomarie Bancroft from Region 8, Valerie Patterson from Region 10, Simona Broomes, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection; Nicolette Henry, Minister within the Ministry of Education; and Jaipaul Sharma, who left the House after a confrontation with former education minister Priya Manickchand last year and who has been sworn in as Minister within the Ministry of Finance under the new administration, round out APNU’s newest additions to the National Assembly.
