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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Seychelles and Turkey boost parliamentary ties |21 May 2012

Seychelles and Turkey boost parliamentary ties

Members of the Seychelles delegation

This study tour follows and comes as a direct result of an official visit by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Patrick Herminie, to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in December, 2011, whereby it was mutually agreed that there is a need to strengthen the relationship between the two parliaments.

A highly complex and respected institution, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has continuously reinforced its institution and its parliamentary services to ensure the very highest of standards.

In recent years, the National Assembly of Seychelles has undergone several major transformations to ensure that it assumes and reinforces its presence and role as the legislative branch of the government. In line with this policy, the National Assembly has embarked on a strategy of exposing its members as well as the staff of the secretariat to other national and international legislative bodies, as a means of strengthening capacity within our parliament to perform, to a higher degree, our three fundamental roles which are representation, oversight and legislative in an increasingly globalised setting.

During the visit, the delegation had the chance to meet and share experiences with the different directorates within the Turkish parliament.

The highly charged programme offered the delegation the opportunity to appreciate the facilities and services which the secretariat offers its members of parliament, its staff as well as the public.

These sessions focused on, but were not limited to, the human resources organisation structure, the protocol and public relations, the committees of the Turkish parliament, information services as well as plenary practices and procedures.

The delegation also had the chance to visit the Grand National Assembly of Turkey TV Station which broadcasts the activities and deliberations of the parliament on a daily basis, as well as the library of the parliament which offers a number of library and documentation services to the members of the Turkish parliament and its staff.

The interaction at the television station encapsulated the dynamic relationship that exists between the parliament of Turkey, the media and the public; a relationship which needs to be further nurtured in our national context to ensure the strong partnership with our local media in the education of the general public on the objectives and activities of the National Assembly of Seychelles in its endeavour to strengthen democracy and ensure judicious accountability.

Present as part of the delegation was Michael Payet, a journalist from the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation who reports on the activities of the National Assembly on the national television.

Mr Payet had the opportunity to understand the synergy that exists in a modern parliamentary setting which emphasises the need for prolific media coverage of legislative deliberations.
 
The fifth National Assembly has placed even greater emphasis on the importance of committee work as a means of overseeing the government.

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey has also agreed to send experts to help the National Assembly of Seychelles to strengthen its committee system, including the setting up of a planning and budget committee to provide oversight on the budgeting process.

Besides Ms Ernesta and Mr Payet, other members of the Seychelles delegation included Luisa Waye- Hive, Sandra Hall, Betty-May Bibi and Anuchka Loizeau.

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