“In the Sacred House”

A Visit to Parliament Buildings

On June 17 the participants of the Youth Leaders’ Leadership Development Programme visited Parliament Buildings where the country’s National Assembly is housed for a sit-down with the Speaker Raphael Trotman.

The Speaker began his meeting with the young leaders by reminiscing on the history of the building. The foundation for Parliament Buildings was laid in 1829 and completed five years later in 1834, designed by Joseph Hadfield. Some years later, in 1875, Cesar Castellani – a noted artist – designed the ornate ceiling with a sunken panel design. The ceiling is one of the noted intricate designs which the buildings are noted for. The group noticed the paintings of Guyana’s deceased presidents hung around the room. More history came with the note of the Speaker’s Chair (an Independence Gift from the Government of India) and the Sergeant-at-Arms chair (an Independence Gift from Great Britain).

Less ceremonial was the history the building played in a perceived slave rebellion after the abolishment of slavery, a reminder of the tragic history which Guyana is built upon.

The meeting was not just one which dealt with the retrospective, though, Speaker Trotman relayed his thoughts on the importance of the National Assembly and questioned the effectiveness of the traditional mode where the government and the opposition are set-up as adversaries precipitating an even more adversarial relationship during debate. He suggested that a dramatic shake-up of the parliament’s seating could help in abating such combative tendencies. The question was, however, raised that with so many other countries functioning successfully with minority governments in this same makeup why was Guyana still unable to use its current parliament mode to benefit the country.

Other issues which were brought up for discussion was the role the average Guyanese plays in the machinations of the National Assembly. As the public is responsible for the formation of the parliament, the divide between constituents’ needs and the infighting in the National Assembly came into question. Speaker Trotman intimated that there have been outreaches where the parliamentarians have gone into schools so the relationship between the citizens and the members of the house is not fractured but one of open and accessible easiness.

Ultimately Trotman agreed that improving Guyana is a work-in-progress dependant on every stakeholder working together for the betterment of the country. He praised the Blue Caps initiative and was impressed with a body formed to fill the leadership gap in the country. We are sure that the speaker would agree with the members of this group that ultimately Making A Difference – and sacrificing personal hang-ups to do so – are essential to making Guyana a better place.