Government updates UWI academics on domestic, other issues

A government team led by President Donald Ramotar, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon accommodated international relations academics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) to a meaningful discussion session on current issues in the international, regional and domestic arenas.

The batch of 14 post graduate scholars of the St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, were on a scheduled tour of Guyana, and part of it included meetings with decision-makers and stakeholders.

Dr Mark Kirton from the UWI Institute of International Relations is leading the initiative which seeks to add a new dimension to the wealth of knowledge garnered within the classroom.

“The students themselves were able to get from the representatives of the state, their own views on what development efforts are doing, what are some of the challenges, where the new political arrangements may be open for new types of discussion,” Dr Kirton said in an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA).

This has been the fifth such event sponsored by the university, and Dr Kirton said he was pleased with the way in which the Guyana government has been accommodating and gracious throughout the process.

Nia Naran said she found the discussions on security and the drug problem most interesting, including the government of Guyana’s policy on diplomacy within Caricom and Latin America.

Insights were also given on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) model, which the finance minister explained in detail to the visiting delegation.

Gwendolene Roberts said the discussion session brought clarity and focus to the Guyana government’s plans during its term in office.

“I liked Dr Luncheon’s answers to several of the questions. They were very to the point and you got a sense that they (government) are in control of what issues that are impacting the government at present, and it’s very encouraging as a young scholar coming up to see that this is the level of professionalism that exists in the region.”

Two years ago, a batch on a similar mission met former President Bharrat Jagdeo. Tours were also undertaken to quarry operations in the Essequibo River. The former president was a guest lecturer of a special symposium hosted by the campus in June last year following an invitation from the university’s principal, Professor Clement Sankat.