| Teixeira commends GUYDA for sustaining Youth Parliament for 12 years |  |  |  |
| Written by Nadine Sanchara | |
| Wednesday, 19 September 2012 21:04 | |
THE 12th annual Guyana Youth Parliament was yesterday officially opened at the Princess International Hotel, East Bank Demerara, with Presidential Adviser on Governance and Government's Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, delivering the feature address on behalf of President Donald Ramotar.  Government’s Chief Whip, Ms. Gail Teixeira, addressing the audience at the opening ceremony of the 12th Annual Youth Parliament of Guyana (Adrian Narine photo) “…this is an event that is totally and absolutely controlled by young people, and I think this is something that is special and unique to the Youth Parliament of Guyana,” she said. Ms. Teixeira said the Youth Parliament has made an important contribution to a number of issues in the country, including demystifying problems, and encouraging young people to be exposed to parliamentary procedures and the responsibilities of being a Member of Parliament. Most importantly, she added, it gives young people a voice. The Government Chief Whip said she thought the topics chosen for discussion were quite interesting; some of these being social networking, the mistreatment of homosexuals, the power of musical lyrics on young people, the need for language education policy, the state of the Le Repentir Cemetery, and legalising marijuana in Guyana.
“This is what you want to discuss, and so it should be. Young people must have a forum where you discuss your issues and you raise your points. You’re able to listen to each other and to come up with what you think are good answers,” she said to the young parliamentarians.  Some Youth Parliamentarians at the 2012 Youth Parliament (Adrian Narine photo) Ms. Teixeira also highlighted the benefits of the Youth Parliament for its participants individually, noting that it especially helps to build their self- esteem. She said that even if these young people don’t go on to become politicians or Members of Parliament, they would have acquired very important life skills from participating in the Youth Parliament, which can be beneficial in many areas of their lives. In addition, she stated that the Youth Parliament is important in building democracy since it prepares the next generation to take on that mantle of responsibility. “The democratic framework of our country is based on people; on people recognizing what their rights are, recognising  Students in attendance at opening of the 2012 Youth Parliament. Ms. Teixeira also informed the participants that the real test is in the broader society. In other words, how we are able to uphold the constitution and the laws of our country, and to make sure that our rights are recognized. She suggested that the National Youth Parliamentarians could possibly hold future Parliaments in another administrative region, as so far it has only been held in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica). Otherwise, she said, they should ensure that a DVD of all their deliberations be sent to the various regional television stations for airing. Ms. Teixeira cautioned the National Youth Parliamentarians about entering into the Parliament of Guyana. She believes that to retain the independence of the Youth Parliament and to ensure it is run by young people for young people, it should remain and independent organization. |