Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Peace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity

Evaluating Report on the Guidance

of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly

throughout the National Assembly, V^th Legislature

___________________

-          Respected Presidium,

-          Respected Leaders of the Party and State,

-          Honorable Members of the National Assembly, and

-          Distinguished Lao and Foreign Guests,

On this significant and solemn occasion, on behalf of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee (NASC), may I report on the status of the overall performance of the NASC, V^th Legislature to this Inaugural Session of the National Assembly (NA), VI^th Legislature, the NASC of the V^th Legislature, elected by its Inaugural Session on 09 April 2002, consists of 7 Members, of which one women

Throughout the NA, V^th Legislature as the period of time of regional and global circumstances with both many advantages and challenges, however, the NASC has, under the Party’s guidance, actively materialized the substance of the Resolution of the VII^th Party Congress and address of the Party’s President Khamtay Siphandone, the President of the Lao PDR to the Inaugural Session of the NA, V^th Legislature, as directives to the realization of its activities throughout the term of the NA, V^th Legislature to a new qualitative level with achievements and shortcomings evaluated as follows:

Achievements

1.      After the election by the Inaugural Session of the NA, V^th Legislature, the NASC has formulated its guidelines and workplans as references to its performance in the new ear; first of all it has made efforts to direct the political ideology to Members of the NA (MNAs) to ensure the deliberation and decision-making on national key matters with unanimity in conformity with the Party’s policy and the rule of Law.

2.      The NASC as a permanent organ of the NA has replaced the NA in performing the mandate during intervals of sessions to direct, facilitate and support the activities of committees, caucuses of MNAs, MNAs and the NA Cabinet for their performance in accordance with their role and mandate.

3.      The NASC has provided guidance on the preparation, gathering and moderating of the sessions’ procedure, and has also applied the reporting system of its activities to each NA ordinary session in a periodical way; it has actively improved, upgraded the quality of the session proceeding, the consideration and approval on fundamental issues of the Nation submitted by the executive and judiciary bodies to the NA based on the raising of responsibilities, the enhancement of collective intelligence and of democratic right of MNAs in a comprehensive manner to ensure the common interests of the Nation and the people.

4.      The NASC has directed and implemented the structure, and amended laws throughout the term of the NA, V^th Legislature in various sectors and areas increasingly both in quantity and quality; it has also provided guidance on the improvement of mechanisms, methods, pre-legislative process and stages of scrutiny with conciseness, and accountabilities and collective intelligence of different sectors and of social strata have been strengthened towards the gradually improved law-making and amendment.

5.      The NASC has attentively directed the enforcement of the Law on Oversight of the National Assembly to the implementation of the socio-economic development plan (SEDP) and the State budget plan (SBP), the respect of laws in some sectors at central and local levels. There have been modifications, including steps of planning, programs’ formulation, methods, and forms and the oversight procedure, and ways of solution proposed.  Through open hotline and announcement through mass media, civil servants, defense and security forces throughout the people and the social strata expressed their ideas to the content of matters discussed during each NA sitting. At the same time, forms of the oversight during each sitting have been set and streamlined with interpellation in the emphasis of critical issues related to the socio-economic development or concerns of interests of voters submitted to the session through MNAs from each constituency to each relevant party for clarification of each issue and for further solution.

6.      The NASC has made efforts to direct and coordinated with relevant sectors to organize the education and dissemination on the Constitution and laws to a range of civil servants and the pluri-ethnic people with diverse forms in order to raise the awareness about laws’ enforcement, starting from the legal education in sectors with existing laws in the meantime with the organized legal education linked to critical and challenged issues in the current society.

7.      Furthermore, the NASC has considered major documents within the scope of its rights and duties as prescribed by laws, such as: submitting to the President of the State; deciding on granting amnesties; examining and approving the removal and appointment of some positions among members of the Government upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister; deciding on or repealing of the Lao nationality; scrutinizing the public petitions to be sent to the parties concerned for solution, and others.

8.      The regular coordination in discussing dealt issues between the NASC, members of the Government and the judiciary organ has increased, resulting the implementation of the annual SEDP and SBP with unanimity and better enforcement of laws.

9.      The NASC has provided guidance to the execution on foreign policy of peace, independence, friendship and cooperation within its own activities gradually prevailed, resulting the friendly relationship and cooperation between the Lao NA, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) increasingly strengthened. More specifically, the success of the 26^th AIPO General Assembly hosted by the Lao NA in September 2005, has significantly contributed to the overall atmosphere of the outreach of relationship and cooperation between the Lao PDR, friendly countries and international organizations, and as the upholding of the NA role to the international arena at higher level.

*     Reasons of advantages and results :

1.      Because of the close guideline of the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau to the NA activities in a regular manner;

2.      Because of the NASC efforts to the direction of materializing the NA activities with legitimacy, gaining and learning experiences from the activities of inter-parliamentary organizations into real conditions of our country with selection;

3.      Because of the strengthening of individual responsibilities and collective intelligence among members, and the support provided, cooperation and assistance from line ministries, authorities at all levels throughout walks of life.

Distinguished Delegates,

Along with the above-mentioned strengths, the direction of the NASC of the V^th Legislature have also confronted with some shortcomings, as follows:

1.      The direction on law-making and amendment has not been associated yet with laws’ dissemination and education. The content, forms and methods of laws’ dissemination and education to the staff and people have not been yet diversified yet appropriately to each target group; the fact of laws’ violation has bee still a challenge in the society to be seriously addressed  in order to ensure the social orderliness and justice.

2.      although the guidance on the Law on the Oversight of the NA has been initially achieved, but it has not been with high effectiveness yet; the periodical oversight to focused, critical matters has not been much carried out; the oversight’s forms and methods have not been properly streamlined to each target supervised; the coordination between the operating system of the NASC in the oversight’s performance has not been reinforced in compliance with the role, duties and rights set by laws.

3.      The interpretation and explanation of the Constitution and laws has not been directed well and regularly by the NASC.

4.      The NASC guidance on the activities of committees, MNAs’ caucuses to constituencies, MNAs and the NA Cabinet has not been translated into detailed fields of work.

*     Causes of weaknesses :

1.      Guiding patterns and coordinating mechanisms on the activities of the NASC, committees, MNAs’ caucuses and the NA Cabinet have not been yet dynamically harmonized, as it should be.

2.      Operating system to the NASC has not managed yet to fulfill its role; summaries, information and scrutiny have not been precisely and deeply provided.

Honorable Delegates

Throughout the past 4 years of activities, some basic experiences have been learned as follows:

1.      Further strengthening the Party’s guidance to the NA activities with a view to ensure the consideration and approval of fundamental issues of the Nation in conformity with the Party policy and the rule of law;

2.      reinforcing the solidarity and unanimity among Members of the Committee, the coordination between the NASC operating system, sectors and local authorities at all levels in view of enhancing the effectiveness of the public management at higher level;

3.      Further turning to grass-roots in meeting with constituents aiming at well performing the role of representatives of the people, by the people and for the benefit of the people;

4.      Further executing the foreign policy on peace, independence, friendship and cooperation with inter-parliamentary organizations and the region in order to gain support, assistance, relationship and cooperation with progressive development for the sake of respective nations, and of the global peace.

In conclusion, throughout the office term of the NA, V^th Legislature, as the permanent organ of the NA, the NASC has enhanced the political responsibility in the direction and performance as stipulated in the Constitution, the Law on the National Assembly and the NA rules of procedure. It has significantly contributed to the overall achievements of the NA, V^th Legislature, and has participated to the consolidation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic steadily empowered. 

On this solemn occasion, may I, on behalf of the NASC of the V^th Legislature, express thanks to the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau, Members of the Government, people’s courts, public prosecutors, committees, MNAs’ caucuses, MNAs, the NA Cabinet, the Lao Front for National Construction and mass organizations at different levels, the Party committees, local authorities, the Lao pluri-ethnic people, and also both local and foreign businesspersons, friendly countries, international organizations, the inter-parliamentary organizations towards the Lao residents living abroad for their cooperation, support and assistance extended to the NA of the V^th Legislature in the fulfillment of duties throughout its office term as a great contribution to the national development with sustainable growth.                        (Applause!)

Distinguished Delegates,

In this important period of time, on behalf of the NASC of the V^th Legislature, allow me to resign before this noble Session, and to assign the Inaugural Session of the NA, V^th Legislature to proceed the election of the leadership to the NA, VI^th Legislature as enshrined in the Constitution and the Law on the National Assembly.

Thank you.