ISLAMABAD:Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza has said that Parliament and civil society should work hand in hand for better policy making aimed at progress and prosperity of the People of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) member countries. She said this, while addressing a 54th CPA session on the theme “Parliament and Civil Society Engagement for Better Policy Making” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, says a press release issued here Friday.
The Speaker said that parliament and civil society were both expected to be the representatives of the people in their own respective rights, one signifying the free will of its electorate while the other expresses the basic thought, perceptions and needs of a given society.
She said that there can be no democracy without civil society and rule of law as civil society forms the foundation of democracy and rule of law ensure peace and justice.
Highlighting the role of parliament in resolving global problems, the Speaker said that the people face challenges of terrorism, extremism and rising poverty which threatened the very fabric of civility.
In order to overcome these problems, the parliaments have to forge close relationship with the people to combat these dark clouds, she added.
She said that democracy is making a come back in Pakistan and we are very optimistic about its future. Pakistan was greatly indebted for the untiring support by the commonwealth countries for the cause of democracy in Pakistan, she added.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza acknowledged that it was the support of the commonwealth countries that helped Pakistan for holding of February 18, 2008 elections and thanked them for offering condolences on the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto who lost her life for upholding the norms of democracy, promotion of peace and rule of law.
Later, on the side lines of the conference, the Speaker met with the chairman CPA South East Asia and CPA Malaysia Dato Sri Mohammad Shafi Apdal and President of Malaysian Senate Tun Seri Abdul Hamid.
Talking to them, Dr. Fehmida said that parliament of CPA countries needed to be more vibrant to work together for resolution of the problems that needed global solutions.
The Speaker said that she was much impressed by the progress and prosperity attained by the Malaysian people and attributed this to the continuity of policies, robust intuitions and clear sense of direction of the leaders and the people of Malaysia and added that this model should be followed by other developing countries like Pakistan.
She urged the Commonwealth Countries to come forward and support Pakistan in building institutions and showed keen interest for transfer of expertise from Malaysia regarding introduction of Palm oil plantation in Pakistan, especially, in coastal areas.
Tan Sri Abdul Hamid and Dato Sri Apdal said that Pakistan is an important Islamic country and can play a vital role in achieving the objectives of the CPA.
They assured to continue their support to Pakistan for the development of all sectors of the economy, especially Palm oil cultivation in the climatically suitable areas of Pakistan.
No comments:
Post a Comment