Southeast Asian law-makers convened their two-day meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1, which aimed to seek ways to further improve their professional proficiency and boost their training co-operation for increased inter-parliamentary linkage in the region.

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

National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong said the Vietnamese law-making body paid 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.

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. (VNA)