COTABATO CITY --- Former Scotland Minister Jack Wilson McConnell and his delegation motored to Cotabato City last October 2 for a visitation to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament.
The former
Minister and his party
were welcomed by Interim Parliament
Speaker Pangalian Ali
Balindong together with
Secretary General Raby Angkal,
Deputy Speaker Hatimil
Hassan, and Majority Floor Leader Atty. Lanang Ali, Jr.
Members
of McConnell’s delegation included Nataly Doherty and Sarah Rowse from the
United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Martin
Norman and Kurt
Cendana from the
British Embassy Manila , and
Tom Cormier from
the Westminster Foundation
for Democracy.
In
his statement, Speaker Balindong expressed his warmest welcome to Minister
McConnell and his delegation.
“Indeed,
we are deeply honored that you have chosen the BARMM to share with us your
ideas that will help us run this institution. Your visit is a landmark in the
potential process of economic and
political strategic
relations between the
United Kingdom and
the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao,” Balindong emphasized.
For
his part, former Minister McConnell said their visit is a way for the United
Kingdom’s Foreign and
Commonwealth Office to
understand the Bangsamoro’s context
and how the
United Kingdom can
offer assistance in the future.
“I am
very pleased that the Bangsamoro Organic Law has been passed and now we have
the Parliament. In this manner, I assure you of the support of the British
government,” McConnell said.
McConnell
gave to the BTA Parliament Speaker a book from
the Speaker of the Scottish Parliament, saying: “He told me to give it
to you.”
Titled
“The Scottish Parliament,” the book is about the first 20 years of establishment of the Scottish Parliament and
“we hope it will help you and your colleagues,” McConnell said.
Speaker Balindong
then received the
present and expressed
his gratitude to the gesture of
former Minister McConnell.
“The
ideas from the book could bolster the running of the Parliament since we
are now moving
forward slowly but
surely,” Balindong stressed.
McConnell shared
their experience when they established
the Scottish Parliament
in 1999 when they have to prepare the rules of the Parliament to
operate.
“We
have to arrange the changes on the Civil Service. We have to agree on the
budgeting rules. I was the first Minister for Finance, so I have to create and
pass a legislation for the budgeting and auditing rules. We also have a
new election system.
So I understand
the scale of
the challenge that you
have now.
It is
also important to
maintain good relationship with
the central government,” McConnell said.
In terms
of legislation, Balindong
said the BTA
Parliament currently gives
attention on the six priority legislation.
“These are
the Bangsamoro Administrative Code,
Bangsamoro Revenue Code, Bangsamoro
Electoral Code, Bangsamoro
Local Government Code, Bangsamoro Education Code, and the Bangamoro
Civil Service Code. In addition, we also give focus on the creation of the
different offices. Hopefully, we can accomplish these codes for it will guide
the future Parliament,” Balindong added.
More so,
the Speaker likewise
mentioned about the
approval of the “Transition Plan” as well as the “Rules
of Parliament Procedures.”\
“We
hope your faithful visit shall establish a common ground for us to have further
international cooperation, as well as long-lasting friendship among us,”
Balindong said. (GAL, COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA
UNIT, BTA PARLIAMENT / MINDANAO EXPOSE’)
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