The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Akbar Khan, has delivered four CPA roadshows, reaching more than 200 students in the Isle of Man.
The Secretary-General was in the Island for two days as part of a CPA parliamentary strengthening programme, during which he met with the President of Tynwald, Steve Rodan MLC, the Speaker of the House of Keys and chairman of the Isle of Man branch of the CPA, Juan Watterson SHK, and members of Tynwald. He also observed a sitting of the House of Keys.
Mr Khan, who has spoken of ‘the potential of the Commonwealth brand’ and of the Commonwealth’s power to serve as ‘an agent of change’, explained that central to the work of the CPA was to engage with young people, given that more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s combined population was under 30 years of age. He said that the roadshows he had been delivering to schools, colleges and universities across the Commonwealth since he took up his post as Secretary-General in January 2016 had revealed, against a background of global geopolitical uncertainty, an acknowledgement among young people of the heightened relevance of the Commonwealth and its values. Young people were, he said, ‘the engine to drive the Commonwealth’.
Arranged by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald the roadshows were held at Castle Rushen High School where Mr Khan was joined by Graham Cregeen MHK; at King William’s College with Geoff Corkish MBE MLC; at St Ninian’s High School with Clare Bettison MHK and Ralph Peake MHK; and at Dhoon Primary School where the Secretary-General was accompanied by the President of Tynwald, who contributed to the roadshow and outlined the significance of 2017 being the year the Island celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first popular election of the House of Keys.
For the four roadshows Mr Khan chose to focus on three core Commonwealth values - ‘the three Ds’ - diversity, development and democracy, values which, he said, served as ‘the glue’ that held the Commonwealth family together.
Reflecting on his visit he said: ‘I was very pleased to be able to visit one of the CPA’s most active branches and to engage in a very productive dialogue about the excellent work Tynwald is doing to showcase and share some of the excellent work it has delivered as a legislature. The Isle of Man branch is one of the CPA’s smaller jurisdictions, but it stands proud as part of the CPA alongside some of the biggest parliaments in the world, such as India, able to demonstrate some remarkable innovations that many other jurisdictions are learning from.
‘During my visit I was fortunate enough to visit many schools on the island to engage with local students on the values that unite the Commonwealth such as diversity, development and democracy. It was a pleasure to have shared a platform in many schools with local parliamentarians. Engaging young people in discussions on politics and issues that are directly relevant to them has been a very rewarding opportunity for me as Secretary-General.’
Chairman of the Isle of Man Branch of the CPA Juan Watterson SHK said: ‘The Isle of Man branch of the CPA was pleased to welcome the new Secretary-General, Akbar Khan, on his first visit to the Isle of Man. Tynwald’s links with other parliaments through the CPA have never been more important than they are today. Education is a key theme of the CPA, whether for parliamentarians or linking communities. I am glad that Mr Khan, through his school roadshows, has helped to convey this message to the Island’s young people. He also had the opportunity to see some of our inter-parliamentary work first-hand, thanks to the fact that his visit coincided with a visit by a delegation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in Pakistan.’
Photo - The President of Tynwald Steve Rodan MLC, standing, with CPA Secretary-General Akbar Khan, seated, and pupils at Dhoon Primary School.
