An online certificate handover ceremony via Zoom platform was organised by the Parliamentary Centre of Asia (PCAsia) on 18 August 2023, 2.30pm (Cambodian local time) to the participants who completed the training on “Parliamentary Diplomacy”, held from 2nd May 2023 to 5th July 2023.
This training program aims to increase the capacity of Southeast Asian parliamentary officers to better support their respective parliaments’ diplomacy efforts. This relatively new but increasingly essential kind of diplomacy has emerged as an important tool for assisting Parliaments in articulating their various countries’ viewpoints on how to address regional and global concerns.
For the 5th batch of the program implemented this year, as many as five countries have participated in this course including Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Laos with the participation of 26 people in total. Malaysia was represented by a total of six trainees as follows:
1. Mr. Abdul Qadir Siddiq bin Ahmad (Office of the Deputy Speaker, House of Representative);
2. Mr. Chan Wilson (Office of the Deputy Speaker, House of Representative);
3. Ms. Nuraini binti Roslan (Research and Library Division);
4. Mr. Tengku Muhammad Aiezuddin Shah bin Tengku Iskandar Abu Bakar (Research and Library Division);
5. Mr. Mohd Zulhelmi bin Syafuddin Tan (Research and Library Division); and
6. Mr. Augustine Leonard Anak Jen (Research and Library Division).
Throughout the program, a 3-module online course was implemented to enable the participants to acquire in-depth knowledge, skills and techniques that will enable them to better support Parliamentarians in their increasing role in international or foreign affairs. This year’s program has been targeted towards how ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) meetings are held, as well as how AIPA member Parliaments engage in these meetings.
The certificate handover ceremony was preceded with opening remarks by PCAsia Programme Director, Professor Michel Foucher, followed by remarks from trainee representative’s and from the leadership of participating Parliaments. Malaysia trainee’s remarks was presented by Mr. Chan Wilson, Special Functions Officer from Office of the Deputy Speaker, House of Representative, whereas brief remark on behalf of Parliament of Malaysia was delivered by Ms. Azreen Haniza Abdul Hai, Undersecretary from Research and Library Division. In her remark, Ms Azreen shared her appreciation towards PCAsia in organizing this program and expressed her confidence in the continuation of the program with greater number of participants and participating country in the future. The certificate to Malaysian trainees were later handed over by Ms. Azreen.
