Members of the Lakes State Legislative Assembly on Friday concluded a 3-day induction training supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
52 members of the state parliament, the executive, and state parliament staff attended the training.
The deputy governor of Lakes State, Poth Madit Dut, said although the training was conducted late, new MPs need to understand their roles and work in harmony.
“There is a culture, a culture of behavior, and a culture of conduct, and that culture can only be known through induction training and experiences. The government of Lakes State expects this workshop to make all members of parliament know their oversight functions and roles of what their constitutional or national duties are,” Madit said.
“We expect due to induction, we are going to have harmony. First of all within the assembly because if we know our roles very well, there will always be harmony and there will be no cross-cutting into other roles,” he added.
He further urged the state leaders to use their constitutional powers for empowering and improving the lives of their people instead of using that to settle political scores.
He urges elders in the state parliament to provide mentorship support to the young members of parliament that have just joined the state assembly.
Madit also called on the leaders to mentor young men and women who were appointed as MPs for the first time in the parliament.
James Francisco, the undersecretary in the national ministry of parliamentary affairs attended the induction and said new MPs have not received any training yet.
“Since the parliament was reconstituted, no training was conducted, and you are very much aware that 52 members of parliament that are included in the house were not members of parliament,” he added.
Francisco added that the training defines the roles and duties of parliamentarians.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit reconstituted Lakes State legislative assembly in Novermber last year.