SINGAPORE: India's candidate, Hashim Abdul Halim, was on Friday elected chairman of the Executive Committee of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) at its ongoing 51st conference at Nadi in Fiji.

Mr. Halim, West Bengal Speaker for over 24 years, trounced his only rival, Geoffrey Henry, a parliamentarian from the Cook Islands, polling 188 out of 261 votes.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was elected vice-president of the Association, and it was decided that India would host the 53rd CPA conference in 2007.

Mr. Halim's tally of 72 per cent of the votes polled, with no abstention, is rated as a resounding triumph, especially considering the fact that Balram Jhakar, the previous Indian to secure this post, had won by a single vote in 1984. The contest this time, too, had become very intense, and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee piloted a unifying campaign for over six months on behalf of the Indian candidate, according to Commonwealth sources.

It is understood that Mr. Halim drew support from across the spectrum of African, Asian, Caribbean, Canadian and the United Kingdom regions. The Australia-Pacific region seemed to have preferred the other candidate. Pakistan and Bangladesh, among other South Asian countries, appeared to have voted for Mr. Halim.

Mr. Chatterjee told The Hindu over telephone from Nadi that "the very decisive result" was reflective of "the recognition of India's role and India's position in the world and the Commonwealth." Exuding happiness over the "very enthusiastic" support that Mr. Halim's candidature had evoked, Mr. Chatterjee said a "very encouraging" sign was the manner in which the result was greeted by all in the end.

On India's success formula this time, Mr. Chatterjee pointed to Mr. Halim's "long association with the CPA" and the nature of the campaign that centred on the development agenda and joint efforts made by Commonwealth countries.

Mr. Halim told The Hindu that his "responsibility [during the three-year term] is to unify the discordant forces that emerged" within the CPA and to focus on development issues.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail