Somnath goes extempore at Commonwealth meet

The speaker in Somnath Chatterjee took over Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Asociation conference in Toronto, Canada. He refused to look to the 8216;8216;talking points8217;8217; drawn up by the Parliamentary Secretariat for his plenary speech, preferring to speak extempore. Chatterjee, who was the lead speaker at the workshop on 8216;Parliament and the Right to Know8217;, said: 8216;8216;The success of democracy lies in informed choice, meaningful empowerment, safeguarding the rights of the marginalised and the vulnerable for which the people, Parliament and the administration have to work in tandem in a regime where information is available to all without let or hindrance.8217;8217; What has surprised many is that he completely ignored the notes prepared by Parliament8217;s library and reference section and the department which deals with conferences. The Speaker usually sticks to the text. The issue, apparently, is close to Chatterjee8217;s heart and he did not need references or talking points to supplement his opinion on the subject. As Speaker, Chatterjee allowed Zero Hour to be televised. He then got ministers to report on implementation of recommendations made by the parliamentary standing committees every six months. He has also proposed opening up the Standing Committee meeting to the media. Reiterating his stand on the issue, Chatterjee today said the ideals of transparency, accountability, rule of law and good governance can be actualised if people8217;s right to know is preserved and protected in all its dimensions The 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference was inaugurated by the Governor-General of Canada on Sepetmber 3 in Quebec City. The second part of the conference is being held in Toronto.