By Our Reporter
Shillong: Four MLAs led by John Manner Marak, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), and accompanied by Leader of the Opposition Conrad Sangma, James Sangma, Member PAC, Ronnie V Lyngdoh (Chief Whip) are on a tour of USA, Canada and UK.
Speaking to The Shillong Times from New York where the team arrived in the wee hours of Sunday, a groggy Conrad Sangma said the visit is to apprise the four-member team of the working of the PACs in some of the more transparent and enlightened democracies of the world.
“The Speaker is committed to seeing that legislators move around within the country and outside to familiarise themselves with parliamentary procedures as they obtain in the developed countries.
Earlier, the Library Committee of the Assembly had visited Singapore and submitted its report on how to revamp the Assembly library,” Conrad stated.
He said the Speaker wants the Assembly committees to be more active and to meet with officials and elected representatives of PACs in the respective countries. Stating that the Assembly committees function as mini assemblies when the Assembly is not in session, he said the Speaker’s intention is to activate these committees.
“The team will be meeting with members of the PAC and officers concerned and discuss the process and mechanisms that they follow in their countries and hopes to learn from these nations which are some of the most economically advanced and also democratically active and transparent systems in the world today,” the Opposition Leader stated.
The team will be touring the three countries for 15 days.