President James Michel yesterday welcomed Commonwealth speakers of parliaments and presiding officers from the Africa region attending their 14th conference being hosted by the National Assembly here.

President Michel declared open the conference during a colourful and vibrant ceremony held at the International Conference Centre (ICCS) and attended by Vice-President Danny Faure, ministers, members of the diplomatic corps, MNAs and other distinguished guests.

‘’Your presence here today, honourable speakers and presiding officers of the parliaments of Commonwealth countries of Africa, denotes the vitality of democracy in Africa.

 The smallest democracy – yet one of the most vibrant – in Africa extends to you all a warm welcome. May you enjoy our Creole hospitality over the days to come,” said the President.

President Michel thanked the speaker of the National Assembly Dr Patrick Herminie and his team of collaborators for their time and devotion to ensure that the guests are well taken care of and the arrangements for the conference are up to their expectations. 

“Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are proud of you and proud to host this important conference.”

President Michel said the conference provides an ideal opportunity to learn from the wealth of experience among the Commonwealth countries through the sharing of best practices. 

“Parliament, far from being just a legislative body, represents first and foremost the aspirations of a well-informed electorate. That is after all why parliamentarians were elected, nominated and empowered by the people: to give the populace a voice and a choice,” said President Michel.

  
Noting with interest the topics to be discussed in the conference, Mr Michel said they are indeed pertinent issues that will enhance parliamentary efficiency, thus strengthening the democratic process.
 
“That is why you must listen to one another, seek common ground and implement what would be in our national and regional best interests,” he pointed out.

It is to be noted that the topics to be discussed include; which electoral system to select the best African parliamentarians, the role of the presiding officer in complementing the work of committees, the relevance of formal qualifications in determining the competency of African parliamentarians and how the speaker maintains parliamentary democracy in the House bearing in mind competing national and party interests.

“I have no doubt that you will come up with the best solutions – in the best Commonwealth traditions – to these key issues. I am confident that the outcome of these debates will enhance trust in the democratic process,” added the President.

The President announced that the National Assembly of Seychelles will soon be a member of the African Parliament.

“As I speak, the National Assembly of Seychelles is accomplishing the procedures to become a fully-fledged member of the African Parliament. In addition, we are sustaining crucial efforts in transforming the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a regional parliament.

 Meanwhile, we remain fully engaged with other international legislative bodies such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and, of course, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. We will continue to collaborate with all these international organisations in advancing our nation’s interests, while respecting our national specificities,” added the President.

When he welcomed the delegates speaker Herminie called on his colleagues to remember Canadian speaker Lucien Lamoureux who started the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth almost 45 years ago. 

“His initial mission to promote Commonwealth values and ideals through the sharing of best practices among Commonwealth countries remain relevant today,” he pointed out.

He noted that the African continent despite the many strides it has made in upholding key democratic principles is not entirely at peace with itself and it continues to have many challenges that hamper its proper and effective development.

“This conference should be yet another opportunity for us to further strengthen Commonwealth values and practices, accountability, good governance and the rule of law,” he stressed.

In a vote of thanks, the speaker of the parliament of Tanzania Anne Makinda thanked President James Michel for his presence and for addressing the opening of the conference.

“This is a clear testimony of your readiness and commitment to support the work of our legislatures as we endeavour to further cement the core values of parliamentary democracy such as good governance, rule of law, accountability…”

Commending Seychelles for the warm welcome and hospitality Ms Makinda did not miss the opportunity to remark on the atmosphere of peace, security and freedom which exist here where the delegates have been free to move around and easily mingle with the locals wherever they went.

“Mr President the peace and security that the people of Seychelles are enjoying did not happen like a change in the weather.

 I trust it is the result of determined and consistent effort of your government and the people of Seychelles and I wish to commend you and your government for your effort to ensure peace and security in these beautiful islands,” she said.

She also congratulated Mr Michel for the government’s political will to increase the number of women representation in leadership and decision-making positions here. She noted that according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) September 20, 2013 statistics, Seychelles is ranked the 5th country globally in terms of women representation in parliament and that amounts to 43.8%.

“This is very important and a remarkable achievement and we heartily commend you and your government for championing the cause of women,” she stressed.

Ms Makinda further pointed out that delegates have been very much impressed by the ongoing effort by the government here to preserve the environment, something rare in many countries today but shows it can be done.

The opening ceremony of the conference ended with a colourful and vibrant cultural dance performance put together by the School of Dance and the local group Tanmi.
The conference meanwhile continues its deliberations today and over the next three days at the Kempinski resort.
Forrás: ww.nation.sc