The President of Tynwald, Clare Christian, represented the Isle of Man at the 23rd Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in Kota Kinabalu, capital of the state of Sabah, Malaysia.

Supported by the Clerk of Tynwald Roger Phillips, Madam President joined 187 delegates from 43 Commonwealth countries for the conference, held from January 9 to January 14.

The conference, which aims to foster impartiality and fairness on the part of Speakers and Presiding Officers, promote understanding of parliamentary democracy, and develop parliamentary institutions, was officially opened by H.E. Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Pandikar Amin Mulia, MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia, who delivered his keynote address on ‘The Challenges Facing the Independence of Speakers’.

Keynote address were also delivered by Hon. Geoff Regan, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada: ‘The Role of Speakers in the Security of Parliaments and their Precincts’ (using the example of the recent tragic attack in the Canadian Parliament involving the death of a guard and the attacker and describing the changes introduced as a result of the lessons learnt); Hon. Dr. Patrick Matibini, Speaker of National Assembly of Zambia: ‘Parliamentary Privilege – Protecting the Effective Functioning Democracies’ and Rt. Hon. David Carter, Speaker of the House of Representatives, New Zealand: ‘Orientation and Development for Parliamentarians.’

Together with workshops and discussion papers on each of the keynote topics there was a special plenary discussion on ‘The Low Citizen Confidence in Parliamentary Institutions – How Can Commonwealth Parliaments Build Trust in Legislatures?’ presented by Associate Professor Dr Haidar Dziyauddin from MARA University, Malaysia.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Rt Hon Ahman Zahid Hamidi attended the conference, also Mr Akbar Khan, who met delegates on his first overseas visit since his appointment as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

Reflecting on the conference Madam President said: ‘The conference was very fruitful and provided a valuable opportunity for a candid exchange of views on the challenges faced by Speakers and Presiding Officers in today’s evolving Commonwealth parliamentary landscape. I should also like to extend my thanks to our hosts for their warmth of welcome and scheduling such a diverse and thought-provoking programme.’

The Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth meets every two years.