THE ATTORNEY- GENERAL CALLS ON MNAs TO VOTE ACCORDING TO THEIR CONSCIENCE!

The Attorney-General, Mr. Anthony Tissa Fernando, has called upon the members of the National Assembly to vote according to their conscience and the truth in the National Assembly. He said this in a training seminar at the Plantation Club hotel organised by the Speaker of the National Assembly under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. Fernando was addressing the seminar on the issue of “The Constitutional Jurisdiction and Authority of the National Assembly”. He said that members of the National Assembly should not always vote along party lines for fear of recrimination or punishment. “Your allegiance”, he said, “is first and foremost to the people of Seychelles and the Constitution.” “You should not therefore be scared to vote for what you think is right for fear of rocking the boat.” he advised.

The seminar which was attended by ex Speaker of the Mauritian National Assembly, Mr. Dev Ramnah raised several pertinent issues. The Members of the National Assembly expressed concern over public perception that the Assembly is a powerless institution since most motions passed and approved by the National Assembly never see the light of day as the Government choose to ignore them completely. Others stated that the National Assembly has been relegated to a mere “talking shop” where the MNAs try their best to score cheap political points rather than discuss issues of substance.

The Speaker, Doctor Patrick Herminie, in closing the seminar said that the members of the National Assembly as a whole have a duty to change public perception of the National Assembly. He disagreed with the view that the Assembly was a mere talking shop and said that serious work is undertaken by the Assembly which are sometimes overlooked.

For his part Mr. Dev Ramnah in addressing the issue of “The Rules of Debate-Is there a need for Standing Orders?” stated that the Assembly should start by respecting itself before it can earn the respect of the public. Answering a question from the Leader of the Oppositon, Hon. Wavel Ramkalawan, he said that the idea of having a Speaker from the ruling party and a Deputy Speaker from the opposition is “very good.” He said in Malawi, for instance, there were one Speaker and two Deputy Speakers, one of whom was from the opposition. He said that in Mauritius there had been at least one instance where the Speaker of the National Assembly came from the opposition and that was himself. He said that this gives a semblance of transparency, independence and impartiality which is not always apparent when the Speaker comes from the ruling party as there may be accusation of bias.

The current President of the Court of Appeal, Mr. Francis Macgregor, who addressed the seminar on the topic of “The Role and Importance of the Legislature in a Presidential System”, concluded that both the parliamentary democracy and presidential model of government have their merits and disadvantages. He said we must look at what is best for us as no model is perfect. He expressed the view that there is now an urgent need for a review of our constitution after almost 15 years of experience with the constitution of the third republic.