ASEAN law-makers target increased competence

HCM City (VNA) - Southeast Asian law-makers convened their two-day meeting
in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1, which aimed at seeking ways to further
improve their professional proficiency and boosting their training
cooperation for increased inter-parliamentary linkage in the region.

The meeting, hosted by the Vietnamese National Assembly, was an initiative
tabled by Vietnam at the 29 th ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly
(AIPA) in August 2008.

National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong said the Vietnamese
law-making body pays particular attention to developing its members'
professional skills, regarding it as a "new, difficult, but crucial task
in a bid to raise deputies' competence and promote all-round inter-regional
linkage."

She highlighted the consensus reached by AIPA members on organisational and
professional renewal, in order to better contribute to developing the ASEAN
community as desired.

During the meeting, ASEAN law-makers discussed the notion that mechanisms to
improve the knowledge and skills of the elected deputies will help AIPA
members to understand differences in the organisation of governments and
parliaments in their respective countries.

Representatives of AIPA members put forth specific proposals for the
improvement and development of their deputies' professional competence,
including Vietnam's suggestion of formulating a framework for a strategic
programme to assist the development of the elected deputies in a number of
work-related areas, including professional competence and knowledge.-Enditem