Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Peace Independence Democracy Unity
Prosperity
Opening Speech
by Mr. Samane VIGNAKET, Member of
the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau,
President of the National Assembly of the Vth Legislature
at the Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature
(08 June 2006)
- Respected Presidium,
- Respected Members of the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau,
- Honorable Members of the National Assembly and Distinguished Lao and Foreign Guests,
In the joyful atmosphere filled with revolutionary spirit of the entire people following the great achievements to the VIIIth Party Congress, to the election of Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of the VIth Legislature, and the celebration of the 51st anniversary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, in conformity with the Article 54 of the Constitution of the Lao PDR and the Article 8 of the Law on the National Assembly, the Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature is solemnly unforlded on this day in Vientiane Capital to deliberate and decide on important issues pertaining to the state apparatus’ exercising throughout the term of the VIth Legislature.
The Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature represents a prominent event in the pluri-ethnic people’s political life. It is the culminating results of an extensive and intensive people’s democratic process within the Lao society, and an important success gained in the implementation of the Party’s policy of overall restructuring, as well as a main benchmark in the stable and constant growth of the legislative and executive bodies of our people’s democratic regime.
More importantly, this Inaugural Session of the National Assembly is held at a time when our Party and State have initially materialized the Resolution of the VIIIth Party Congress into strategies, plans and programs towards various fields of work; strategies for the nationwide eradication of poverty; and strategies aiming at gradually industrializing and modernizing our country, strengthening the competitive capacity to the integration woth friendly countries at regional and international levels. In addition, the people of all social strata and ethnic groups stands ready, through enthusiastic competition, to actively implement the Party’s reform policy, the State legislation and plans with a view to ensure constant national development with socio-political security and stability; and gradually upgrading the people’s material and moral living conditions, and further developing external relations and international cooperation.
All these circumstances accurately reflect the importance and objective necessity of this Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature, and at the same time, they have shown the accountibility and burden of the National Assembly of the VIth Legislature.
In this solemn ceremony, our session is pleased to warmly welcome and heartfeltly congratulate the candidates entrusted and elected by the nationwide pluri-ethnic people as Members of the VIth Legislature from constituencies who have traveled to participate to this session in complete number and in due time
Our session has the high honor to present its salutations to and welcome / Khamtay Siphandone, President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, who has brought expressions of warm friendship, concern and care to the Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature.
The session also expresses its heartfelt salutations to Mr. Choummmaly Xayasone, Secretary-General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s Central Committee honoring this Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature with his presence!
The session also expresses its heartfelt salutations to high-level Party and State officials honoring this Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature with their presence!
The session extends its heartfelt congratulations to members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of international organizations to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for honoring the Inaugural Session of the VIth Legislature.
The session dedicates its thoughts to the memory of President Kaysone Phomvihane, our respected leader, to the high-level leaders of the Party and Government, civil servants, party members, MNAs and the pluri-ethnic people who passed away during the performance of their duties in the cause of national liberation, as well as in the causes of national defense and construction.
On this occasion, I would like to request the honorable delegates and guests to stand up and observe 5 seconds of silence in their memory. (Please!)
Distinguished Delegates,
Adhering to the Party’s policy of overall restructuring with the Party norms and through the effective implementation, the more fundamental matter is to focus on the consolidation of unity in the Party and solidarity throughout the society; to enhance the spirit of strenuousness, the perseverance of creativeness, and spirit of patriotism, independence, ownership and self-strengthening in the national safeguarding and development; to consider the economic development as a core; to move forward the economic growth in linkage with solution of social concerns aiming at transcending the country from the least developed nations, building all conditions for the country’s progressive industrialization and modernization.
These new political tasks require further strengthening of the State to ensure the firm alignment of the causes of national defense and development; to strongly move forward and to capably mainstream to the flow of global development. It is for such reason that the election of MNAs of the VIth Legislature and this Inaugural Session are proceeded in view of linking the terms of office of the State’s authorities to the office terms of socio-political organizations within our country, and of institutions of the people’s democratic political system with the execution’s periods of the VIth Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan.
Honorable Delegates,
In abiding by Chapter VI of the Constitution of the Lao PDR on the National Assembly and Article 11 of the Law on the National Assembly, the main duty of the VIth Legislature’s Inaugural Session is to consider and decide on the improvement and strengthening of the public administration during the term of the NA, VIth Legislature. Such task includes:
1. Listening to the election’s results and features of the MNAs of the VIth Legislature;
- Considering and approving the organizational and personnel restructure of the NA, VIth Legislature, and the institutional machinery of the executive branch (including the dissolution, the unification and the establishment of ministries and bodies equivalent), the Supreme People’s Court and of the Supreme Public Prosecutor Office;
2. Considering and adopting the amendment of some articles of the Law on the National Assembly;
3. Listening to, considering and approving the VIth Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (2006-2010);
4. Listening to, considering and adopting the National Socio-Economic Development and Budget Plans for fiscal year 2006-2007;
5. Listening to, considering and approving directives of the NA, VIth Legislature; and
6. Listening to the address of the Secretary-General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s Central Committee;
· Voting on key issues considered during the session;
· Considering and adopting the Resolution of the Inaugural Session of the NA, VIth Legislature.
Distinguished Delegates,
The Inaugural Session of each Lgislature is the most important as it initiates the process of strengthening public administration to a new qualitative level in conjunction with the political tasks outlined by the Party for each period of time and term. The Inaugural Session of the NA, VIth Legislature differs from the Vth Legislature’s constitutive session as requirements place higher targets in the qualitative improvement of the VIth Legislature’s organization and performance. Because that the political tasks and goals set by our Party for 2010 and 2020, as well as the objective conditions of our country and of each local area, which MNAs have had the opportunity to observe during their visits to constituents in the electoral preparation, represent new harder duties.
Therefore, the issues raised before this session is to seek ways and measures to strengthen and upgrade the quality and efficiency of the VIth Legislature’s performance to a new level. This issue should be reflected starting from its Inaugural Session. To improve the National Assembly’s performance to a higher qualitative level requires many factors, and improvement of several elements in the following stages. But first and foremost, this task will depend on the political responsibility and determination of MNAs at high or low level.
Therefore, I call upon all Members of the VIth Legislature to bear in mind of their political responsibility as representatives in whom the people has placed its trust and confidence, to uphold their intelligence and accountibilities in objectively and effectively deliberating and deciding on different matters during this constitutive session, as well as other sessions throughout the mandate of this Legislature. In addition, I also call upon representatives of the Party and State organizations, the Lao Front for National Construction, central mass organizations and all parties to actively participate in monitoring and contributing to the success of this session by fulfilling the outlined purposes and targets.
In conclusion, as the Chair, may I declare the Inaugural Session of the National Assembly, VIth Legislature officially open from this moment on.
Thank you.