The National Assembly on Thursday passed a motion which paves the way for Guyana to become of a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The motion, brought by leader of government business in the National Assembly Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, was passed with the support of the opposition PPP/C.
According to the motion, the IPU provides “an opportunity to express views on issues of international interest with the aim of bringing about action by Parliaments and provides the forum for the promotion and defence of human rights, which is an essential factor of parliamentary democracy.”
The motion was presented following a decision by the Parliamentary Management Committee (PMC), at its meeting held on May 2nd, 2014, that Guyana should become a member of the union.
On May 27th of that year, an application was made for IPU membership but in order for it be accepted a resolution of the Parliament of Guyana was requested.
“We are very pleased that the motion has finally reached here… This is not a controversial motion and therefore we are happy to support the motion and look forward to Guyana being represented at an IPU meeting coming up in Zambia,” PPP/C MP Gail Teixeira, the only opposition member to speak on the motion, said.
She also called for the expeditious implementation of the motion.
According to Teixeira, it should be noted that the IPU is an important international body and one that Guyana should be a member of since the body represents all the Parliaments across the world.
Teixeira recalled that a number of regional and international bodies that Guyana should belong to was being looked at as well as the benefits and the cost to the country. She said that in 2014, the PMC assigned her and then opposition MP Joseph Harmon to collaborate and sort out those issues. That sort of collaboration, she pointed out, seems to be over. She recalled that it was later recognised after some examination that the IPU was the “number one body” Guyana should belong to.
She said it was felt that once the UNASUR Parliamentary Forum was created that Guyana should be a member. That body is still in the evolutionary stage, she said.
Nagamootoo told the House that the union, which has been in existence since 1889, has had “significant influence” working along with the UN General Assembly and other similar organisations. Nagamootoo added that the aim was to bring about greater harmony in the work of National Assemblies and Parliaments around the world.
He spoke of the advantages of Guyana becoming a member of the union. He pointed out that one of area where there has been consistent work by the IPU has been empowering women to bring about their political involvement at an international level, in the work of democratic reforms and in the promotion of parliamentary work.
He said while there will be an average annual membership subscription of just over $2M, the benefits will be enormous. He said that Guyana will be able to foster contacts and will get an opportunity to partake in the exchange of experiences with parliamentarians from other countries.
