Members Of The National Assembly Leadership Attend A Workshop Hosted By The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

A workshop hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) took place from the 23rd to 24th January 2023, with the intention of developing a roadmap to financial and administrative autonomy through a legislative framework.

 

 

In attendance was the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Roger Mancienne, the Deputy Speaker Hon. Gervais Henrie, the Leader of Government Business Hon. Bernard Georges, the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sebastien Pillay, Chief Whip of the LDS Caucus Hon. Sandy Arissol, the Clerk of the National Assembly Mrs. Tania Isaac, the Deputy Clerk Ms. Alexandria Faure, Senior Legal Officer Mrs. Imaan Toulon, Director of the Office of the Speaker Ms. Genevieve Daniel, and the PR & Protocol Manager Ms. Angelique Hill. The workshop was delivered by the Head of Programmes at the CPA Mr. Matthew Salik, with the assistance and expertise of Mr. Huw Williams, Head of the Clerk/CEO’s Office at the Scottish Parliament.

 

 

The two-day workshop follows the Mission of the CPA Small Branches Network, which is the empowerment of small Parliaments to overcome national and international challenges though “cooperation, advocacy and the strengthening of parliamentary democracy and good governance”.

 

 

Hon. Mancienne launched the workshop and gave his thanks to Mr. Salik and Mr. Williams for their presence in Seychelles and for their knowledge of the administrative and legal practices needed to facilitate change in a Parliamentary context. Discussions and deliberations took place regarding the future of the National Assembly, and various recommendations were made on the basis of general practices used by various Commonwealth Parliaments but with careful consideration of Seychelles-specific circumstances.

 

 

At the conclusion of the workshop Mr. Salik noted that the discussions had been fruitful and that the autonomy of Parliament has always been at the forefront of the CPA’s values. Hon. Mancienne’s concluding remarks included a thank you to Mr. Salik and Mr. Williams for their insight, and also to the CPA as an organisation. The Speaker then presented the delegates with a token of appreciation each, before the workshop officially ended.

 

 

Editor’s Note: The CPA Small Branches Network represents small jurisdictions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to identify their particular needs and requirements in parliamentary strengthening, development and cooperation. The Seychelles CPA Branch was formed in 1995 and regularly engages on a bilateral level.