24 Jan 2016

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Gladys Kokorwe has returned from the 23^rd Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), which was held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, from January 9-14. 

A press release from the National Assembly states that the conference aimed to maintain and encourage impartiality and fairness of Parliament Speakers and presiding officers.

The conference also aimed to strengthen knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms and the development of parliamentary institutions.

The release also states that the conference was attended by 187 delegates from 43 Commonwealth countries. It was officially opened by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Topics discussed included the role of speakers in the security of parliaments and their precincts, parliamentary privileges, protecting effective function of democrats, orientation and development for parliamentarians, the low citizen confidence in parliamentary institutions and how Commonwealth parliaments can build trust in legislatures and challenges facing the independence of speakers.

The release further states that as part of the resolutions, speakers and presiding officers, were urged to ensure the security of parliaments while striking a balance between accessibility of parliaments to the public and their overall security.They were also advised to guard against abuse of parliamentary privileges and to avoid using them as a shield to protect parliamentarians from the public or individuals.   

Speakers and presiding officers were also encouraged to ensure that members (from both sides and divide) are empowered through capacity building programmes to become effective parliamentarians.

They were further advised to look into the issue of neutrality, independence and impartiality (both financially and administratively) from the executive as well as the need to review the standing orders from time in order to address emerging issues. 

Meanwhile, the next CSPOC will be held in Seychelles in January 2018. Ends