John Ekongo
30 September 2008
The Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly, Patrick Herminie, has hailed Namibia as a thriving democracy, and said he is impressed with the country's parliamentary system from what he has seen and been told so far.
Herminie is particularly impressed with the committee systems of the august houses, and stressed that Seychelles might learn something from their Namibian counterparts.
The Seychelles delegation is on a wor-king visit to Namibia at the invitation of the Namibian Parliament. Herminie accompanied by senior officials from the National Assembly met with Speaker Theo-Ben Gurirab yesterday at the Tintenpalast.
Gurirab expressed delight at the visit, saying it is important for small countries like Namibia and the Seychelles to conduct visits like these to exchange and share ideas.
He also added that such visits help to strengthen the cordial relations that already exist between the two nations.
Gurirab maintains that as member states of intergovernmental bodies such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the United Nations and the Pan-Africa Parliament, the two countries must utilize all the platforms at their disposal to bring about successful developments to the their respective people.
Both Speaker Gurirab and Herminie raised concern about the current state of international economics, making reference to the Untied States financial crunch.
They agreed that although the US is far away from their respective countries, the crunch affects small economies like Namibia and Seychelles severely, as international trade is practised within a US-led economy.
Gurirab says that the crunch is reminiscent of the Great Depression Era of the early 1930s.
Speaker Herminie is on an extensive visit and will undertake city visits during his three-day stay in Windhoek. He is expected to meet the chairpersons of the various standing committees.
Today, Herminie will pay a visit to the National Council, where he will have an audience with the presiding officer of the National Assembly, Asser Kapere as well as pay a visit to the Windhoek Municipality to meet the Mayor of Windhoek, Mathew Shikongo.
Tomorrow, the Seychellois delegation will pay a visit to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, before being taken around a tour of the city including a visit to Heroes Acre where he will lay a wreath at the grave of the late Mose Tjitendero.
He concludes his day with an afternoon visit to Namibia Breweries in the Northern Industrial Area.
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