Two-day seminar to help expand MPs grasp of National Assembly

Members of Parliament (MPs) will participate in a two-day seminar later this month to broaden their knowledge on the inner workings of the National Assembly.

Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman told reporters yesterday that the training and bridge building seminar, which will be held on May 21 and 22 at the Pegasus Hotel, is being conducted by the Common-wealth Parliamentary Association in collaboration with the United Nations Development Pro-gramme. Reading from a prepared statement during a press conference, Trotman said the objective of the seminar is to introduce new parliamentarians to the working of the National Assembly generally, and more specifically, “we hope to have all of our MPs exposed, and become familiar with techniques for bridge-building, and partnership and collaborative development”.

He said the seminar, which is being held under the theme ‘Managing through Partner-ship’, is expected to be attended by all MPs and officers of the Parliament Office.

It will be facilitated by Members from the United Nations Development Pro-gramme Head Office, and the Commonwealth Parliamen-tary Association.

Trotman told reporters that the seminar, “coming at a propitious time immediately after the consideration of the 2012 Budget, is carefully designed to give Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Officers, a detailed knowledge and working understanding of the processes and procedures of our uniquely configured National Assembly; one in which, no one party has a commanding majority, and in which, I daresay, partnerships and collaborations are imperative”.

Among the topics to be addressed over the two days are the roles of MPs; Collaborative Leadership and Bridge Building; Majority/ Minority Gover-nance and Parliamentary Committees.