President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom today inaugurated the Seventh Conference of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians.
In his speech at the inauguration ceremony held at Bandos Island Resort, President Yameen said it was now imperative that countries in the region focus on the relationships between parliamentarians and executive branches, to ensure that the true and full benefits of democratic governance are realized by the people.
He said while checks and balances are the bases of democratic systems, cooperation and collaboration between the legislatures and executives was an essential prerequisite for strong and good governance.
Moreover, the President said the role of parliaments – especially in young democracies and small states – extend far beyond constitutional and legislative enactment and amendment.
“The parliament, in our part of the world, also serves as a safeguard against fundamental rights violations, oversight of independent ombudsman institutions and approving state budgets”, he said.
Highlighting the themes to be discusses during this Conference, President Yameen underscored that the outcomes of the Conference will “have a strong bearing on the future development of SAARC Members States”.
“While parliamentarians deliberate on such varied discourse, we are also mindful of the plight of over a billion people. Reducing income disparity and poverty alleviation will feature for many more years to come. Governments must be encouraged and assisted to uplift the wellbeing of their citizens”, said the President.
The two themes for the Conference are ‘Strengthening democracy in the South Asia region through institutional development’ and ‘Democracy and inclusive development – achieving SAARC MDGs’. Women Parliamentarians will also be holding a meeting under the theme ‘Opportunities and challenges for women’s political participation and representation in South Asia’.
