A number of key questions, including what is parliament doing to effectively engage with the Lesotho public; how do the public and civil society organisations currently access and influence parliament and; how can these relationships be improved and thus parliamentary democracy strengthened in Lesotho, will be addressed at a workshop to be held in Maseru on Monday 23 August at the Lesotho Sun Hotel, Maseru.

Attending the workshop will be parliamentarians, as well as civil society leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics and the media. The workshop is sponsored by the Danish government and has been convened by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Lesotho is the second of the Sadc countries, after Namibia, to hold such a workshop.

“Public participation in parliament is one of the central features of democratic consolidation,” project manager Tim Hughes said.

“Lesotho has enjoyed years of vibrant democracy and so we are very interested to learn from the people of Lesotho about their experiences in dealing with parliament. We have noted some important innovations in Lesotho and these could serve as useful guidelines for our Sadc Parliamentary Best Practice Handbook.”

Academic Professor Francis Makoa, of the National University of Lesotho, who was responsible for writing the Lesotho country report, will present his research team’s findings and will lead a session that will workshop ways of improving public engagement with parliament. The result of the research and seminar will be incorporated into a parliamentary best practice publication for use throughout the Sadc region.

“We applaud the efforts made by parliament to encourage public engagement and the and the sterling work of NGOs, but know that there is more that could be done and we are hoping that the workshop will facilitate even better relations between parliament and civil society in Lesotho,” said Makoa.