Tanzanian MP shadows Valerie in her role as MP

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) organises shadowing programme for the Tanzania Women’s Parliamentary Group (TWPG) on 22 January 2014. The Programme was designed to enable Tanzanian MP’s to get an insight into day to day life of MP’s in Westminster and a closer look at UK Politics.

A number of presentations and tours were held for the group of visitors, and on Tuesday, Hon. Rose Kamili Sukum, accompanied Valerie see at first hand Valerie’s work as an MP at Westminster, how an MP’s Westminster office is run and the relationship with constituency offices.

Valerie said:

Rose saw me open my post and allocate the post to my London and Walsall office. She also met my London Staff and listened to a conversation with my Walsall Office. She saw that despite being located in Walsall we have day to day contact. As I was called at No 15 for Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions, this gave Rose an opportunity to sit in on questions to the Foreign Secretary. Rose first saw Mr Speaker’s Procession to the Chamber and then sat in on FCO questions. Rose was able to see the process of how MP’s who are not on the Order paper, try to catch the Speaker’s eye. Having missed my opportunity at Questions I was called by Mr Speaker at Topical Questions. I asked a question of the Minister about political prisoners in Burma following a visit by Mr Speaker’s delegation, of which I was a member, to Burma. Enabling MP’s from different parliaments to shadow us helps in understanding each other’s democracy.”