-Meeting of Atlantic branch of CPA opens

Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran last evening called for the Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians (ACCP) to be resourced and seriously promoted as an institution of Caricom “to bring the views of parliamentarians across the region to bear on the integration process”.

Ralph Ramkarran

And in light of challenges facing the world and the region, he said, an environment of increasingly strong adherence to parliamentary democracy is more vital now than ever before. The Speaker made these remarks as the 34th Annual Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) opened with speeches and cultural presentations in Georgetown last evening.

To an audience that included Speakers and Parliamentary representatives of 12 countries, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, performing the functions of President, Secretary-General of the CPA, Dr. William Shija, members of the diplomatic corps and others, Ramkarran said that the Conference presents an opportunity to review the achievements of the past year and to determine a strategy to deal with the new challenges confronting the region.

He noted that the world is facing a financial crisis, complicated by climate change while there is increasing criminal activity in the region and other problems generated by external events as well as internal circumstances. “These challenges create an increased burden of expectation upon you, the elected representatives of the people to respond to their demands. It is my view and I commend to you that an environment of increasingly strong adherence to parliamentary democracy is more vital now than ever before”, he declared. This will strengthen our societies and further empower our voices and advocacy, the Speaker added.

And in noting that the ACCP is not well known, having met only twice, he said that it can assist decision making and integration within the Caribbean. “Effectively organized and sufficiently supported, the ACCP can provide an important forum for supplementing the process of decision making and integration within our region”, Ramkarran said. The topic was discussed when the regional executive committee met yesterday and proposals will be put to the conference, he disclosed. “In the meantime I call for the ACCP to be resourced and seriously promoted as an institution of the community to bring the views of parliamentarians across the region to bear on the integration process”, he asserted.

A range of topics will be discussed at the Conference, which will begin deliberations today at the International Conference Centre at Liliendaal. These include the global economic crisis, the social impact of the crisis, priority in spending, the environment and climate change, challenges relating to public safety and strengthening of parliamentary democracy.

Dr. Shija, a Tanzanian and the first African Secretary-General of the CPA, advocated a role for young people in the process. The Commonwealth has provided support to young people, he said, and in this technological age, they are not being seen as leaders of tomorrow but are leading today. He encouraged Guyana and other countries to have youth parliaments. Noting the several forums that are held, he pointed to a new initiative-a need to develop some other extra-budgetary lines in order to fund tangible programmes for parliaments, with a focus on developing countries. He said that they had been able to assist several Parliaments in some way, including St Lucia’s. “I continue to be very keen as Secretary-General to listen and follow what I am being told by the members of the branches in the Caribbean in what you would like to achieve, to get in terms of this programme…cause I know there is need”, he stated.

Prime Minister Hinds, meantime called on the countries to reaffirm their commitment to democracy. He said also that there is a need to enhance cooperation and “speak as one”. In light of the current situation, where other countries are hearing calls to look after themselves first and think of others after, “we must identify a core of critical transformational policies and implement them with single-minded resoluteness that will allow us to capture the promise of the 21st century and safeguard our society from new negative challenges”, he said. Foremost among these challenges, Hinds stated, is crime. He said that too many of the young people are buying into the philosophy enunciated by American rapper, 50 Cent “get rich quick or die trying…indeed all of our peoples seem to be running out of patience”.

Several cultural presentations delighted the delegates and brought the opening ceremony to a close. Countries represented at the Conference are Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Nevis, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.

CPA Branches are currently grouped geographically into nine Commonwealth Regions for representation on the CPA Executive Committee and for the organization of regional conferences and seminars on parliamentary practice and procedure. The Regions are: Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific, and South-East Asia.

Though having met only a few times, the ACCP was envisaged by Prime Minister of Barbados  Erskine Sandiford) in 1987.  The idea was presented at the Eighth Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held in Saint Lucia.

On August 3, 1994, the Inter-Governmental Agreement entered into force and talks started with Barbados to host the Inaugural Session of the ACCP.

According to the Caricom Secretariat website, “The objectives of the ACCP are to: involve the people of the Community through their representatives in the process of consolidating and strengthening the Community; provide opportunities for involvement in the issues of the integration process by Members of Parliament in each Member State and Associate Member of the Community; provide a forum for people of the Community to make their views known through their representatives; provide a more frequent mechanism to monitor policies of the Community; provide enhanced opportunities for the co-ordination of foreign policies of Member States; promote greater under-standing among Member States and Associate Members for the purpose of realising and safeguarding the ideals and principles of democratic governments in the Community and facilitating the economic and social advancements of their peoples; encourage the adoption by the Governments of Member States of the Community of a common policy on economic, social, cultural, scientific and legal matters deliberated upon by the Assembly.”