As part of its key strategic area to build and strengthen key relationships, the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (CEPS) met with the new Speaker of the National Assembly, Speaker Roger Mancienne, on Thursday 26th November 2020.
CEPS was represented by its Chairman, Mr. Jude Fred, Vice-Chair, Mrs. Marie-Nella Azemia, the Chief Executive, Mr. Michel Pierre, and the Deputy Chief Executive, Ms. Julie Florentine. Present at the meeting was also the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Gervais Henrie.
The meeting centered around areas of cooperation and collaboration between the two parties to better serve the citizens of the country as a whole. It was also an opportune time for CEPS to relay the important roles of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country as well as the immense contributions they have brought in the development of the country over the years. It was also pointed out that the civil society sector also contributes, at times on a high level, in the socio-economic sector of the country through projects they initiate – hence the need for more collaborations with other branches of the government to support the good causes of this sector.
On his side, Speaker Mancienne welcomed CEPS’ proposal for partnership and pointed out that the country should consider and broaden the roles of the civil society within the country as this sector is an independent body from the government which is directly involved with the public and the nation as a whole. He also commended the remarkable achievements of this sector in the country.
During the meeting, CEPS also got the chance to put forward its challenges and proposed for more interactions with the Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) especially the bill’s committee who deals directly with the national bills, which all of them impact on the citizens in one way or another. CEPS also proposed for collaborative sessions with the assembly to educate them on the civil society sector and the need to engage with this sector at a higher level.
