Parliamentary internship programme

Five Sri Lankan Parliamentarians will take up a month-long internship in India at the Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi to learn from India’s parliamentary best practices.

The internship, from 1 to 30 November 2007, will focus on supporting Sri Lanka to advance its parliamentary democracy.

Senior parliamentary officials from Commonwealth Countries travel to India every year to take part in this internship jointly sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of India.

Programmes such as this “add value to parliamentary democracies such as Sri Lanka and India due to the knowledge exchange and sharing of good practices which have been entrenched in parliamentary functioning,” said Jacqueline Wilson, Director of the Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD).

“India is by far the best example of democratic excellence and it would help countries like Sri Lanka – its neighbour – in realising its potential,” said Mohammad Jasimuddin, Adviser, Asia Region at the Secretariat, who designed the programme for deepening democracy in the region.

Frank Christopher, Director of the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training in India said: “We are incorporating speakers from both the state and central governments into our lecture series. The main concentration will be on cultural heritage, the political system, the constitution, the role of legislature and functioning of the judicial systems in India. We will also conduct workshops, debates and exchange ideas.

“Very senior officials including our vice president, members of parliament, cabinet ministers and members of the judiciary will address the Sri Lankan delegates,” he added.

The programme has been supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat for over a decade and participation has steadily increased.

Key Links:

• Country Profile: India
• Country Profile: Sri Lanka
• Governance