Ministry official, press association head attend US programme on fighting corruption

Senior Legal Adviser, Ministry of Legal Affairs and Office of the Attorney General’s Chambers, Judy Stuart and the President of the Guyana Press Association, Neil Marks recently participated in a US programme on combating corruption.

A release from the US Embassy yesterday said that US Ambassador Perry Holloway met with the two who recently returned from the United States after participating in the Embassy-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange on “Combating Corruption” from March 6 – 16, 2016.   The release said that the two shared their programme experiences and discussed how they hoped to apply the insights gained to the benefit of their organisations and communities as a whole.

US Ambassador Perry Holloway with Judy Stuart and Neil Marks (US Embassy photo)
US Ambassador Perry Holloway with Judy Stuart and Neil Marks (US Embassy photo)

During the programme, Stuart and Marks, along with their counterparts from the Caribbean visited several cities, including Washington, D.C., Manchester, New Hampshire, and Raleigh, North Carolina where they met with government officials, members of the private sector, and media houses.

Among the highlights of the programne, the release said, was a visit to the Center for Whistleblowers.

Stuart noted this was indeed timely as the Government of Guyana is in the process of  drafting legislation for       Whistleblower and Witness Protection aimed at  preventing corruption.

The release said that Marks’ participation in this programme has heightened his awareness of the critical role that the media play as “watchdogs” in promoting good governance and human rights.

The IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional ex-change programme.