The Future of the National Assembly
However, we look to the future with much optimism of the man- agement of public relations in the Seychelles with the aim of bringing Parliament closer to the public and instilling the proper sense of respect in our people. At the beginning of this year, the
President of the Republic, Mr James Michel, declared this year, the ‘Year of the Constitution’ and coined the motto ‘Our Constitution- the Voice of our Nation’.What role has the National Assembly played in the promulgation of this motto? Or rather, the question should be ‘what opportunities have the declaration of the ‘Year of the Constitution’ provided for the National Assembly?’ Fifteen years after the Seychellois
nation voted in a referendum to approve its constitution, 2008, the year of the revision of the Constitution, provided the National Assembly with the perfect platform
Assembly does, most especially the legitimate duties bestowed upon it by the Seychelles Constitution. Special visits were organized for dif- ferent groups where they had the opportunity to observe the Assembly in session as well as have discussions with their representative Members. In July, the National Assembly launched its first student handbook We, the People of Seychelles, illus- trating the functions and roles of the National Assembly, and also reviewed the design and layout of its website with the aim of making it more interactive and attractive, par- ticularly for the youth. It is important at this stage to
note one key factor and that is the proper induction of the new Members of the National Assembly. In Seychelles there is a necessity to change the mindset of the Members themselves and it is hoped that an appropriate induction programme
development and adequate training of our Secretariat have therefore been set as one of the priorities of our
institution.At the beginning of this year, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of the new building that will house the National Assembly of Seychelles, and this will provide the Secretariat with the logistical support that will enable them to carry out their support duties to the National Assembly to the best of their abilities.
Looking forward With the reinstatement of the National Assembly of Seychelles amongst the Members of the CPA, it is also one of our foremost endeavours to rejoin the relevant international parliamentary organi- zations so as to strengthen the working relationships that we have with other Parliaments in the region and worldwide. Currently, we are doing the nec-
“The National Assembly of Seychelles is still a young institution by many standards, and only now taking the necessary decisive steps towards further institutional
development...we have taken that one single step, and we are already witness to the positive outcomes of our collective efforts.”
Hon.Dr Patrick Herminie
from which to launch its Public Relations Campaign.
One of the components of the
UNDP Project Document was ‘improvement of public relations, media coverage and awareness of par- liamentary matters among the pub- lic’.This component was constituted in the form of a media advisory committee in June, composed of Members of the National Assembly and representatives from the national media with the express objective of improving public relations, media coverage and awareness of parliamen- tary matters.
The committee maintains con- stant liaison with the relevant media organizations to ensure proper and frequent broadcasting of the Assembly sessions.
The National Assembly – in col- laboration with relevant government and non-governmental departments – set out on the path to educate the public on what the National
will go a long way in getting mem- bers to appreciate that the expres- sion of divergent views can be done in a civilized manner, thus rendering more dignity to the institution, and consequently commanding more respect from the public.
The Secretariat of the National Assembly Very often in our everyday work, we as Parliamentarians forget a most important factor that allows us to do the work that we do, and that is the invaluable support given to us by the staff members of our respective secretariat. We have many demands, and in most if not all cases,we expect what we ask today- yesterday! The Secretariat of the National Assembly of Seychelles is not spared any of those demands, given that the Assembly of 34 members is supported by only 12 staff. The capacity building, effective
essary to re-join the SADC Parliamentary Forum. Maintaining a sound international presence is an integral part of our quest for suc- cessful
development.The promotion of parliamentary democracy is after all the duty of every parliamentary institution.
The National Assembly of
Seychelles is still a young institution by many standards, and only now taking the necessary decisive steps towards further institutional devel-
opment.As a great philosopher once said “The journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step”. We have taken that one single
step, and we are already witness to the positive outcomes of our collec- tive efforts.With the valuable sup- port given to us by organizations such as the CPA and the UNDP, we look forward to the development of the National Assembly becoming a dynamic and strong legislative institution.
The Parliamentarian 2008/Issue Four 321
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