ADDIS ABABA- Amendment of available proclamations and enacting new ones helps to institutionalize promised reforms, strengthening democratization process and to respond the public demand through clearly defined laws: House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) said.
According to Senior Communication Expert of the Information Communication Directorate with the House Nammi Alka, government is amending selective available proclamations, enacting new and releasing unnecessary proclamations to respond the public demand through legally defined systems.
Nammi told The Ethiopian Herald that immediately after Dr. Abiy Ahmed came to power his government started amending the proclamation which defines the powers and duties of the executive organs which downsized the cabinet to 20 aimed at proper function with minimum cost. The new proclamation also laid a base for the establishment of new organs like Ministry of Peace.
Lifting up of the state of emergency and lists of terrorist groups’ were also another measurement to widen the political landscape immediately approved by the house, Nammi added. Government has also amended the Defense Force proclamation to modernize the National Defense Force by include cyber, space, maritime and special mission forces, he stated.
According to Nammi new proclamations to establish national reconciliation and Amending, enacting… administrative boundaries & identity issues commissions were also enacted and approved recently. While the election law, anti-terrorism proclamation, charities & society’s proclamation and the ombudsman proclamations are on process of amendment, Nammi stated.
Nammi noted that amending and enacting the new proclamations is crucial for basic political, economical and social reforms with legal ground. Strengthening legal issues is the backbone of the reform for institutional structural changes, to create strong & free public institutions, to boost accountability and transparency with the executive.
Meanwhile, strong proclamations will fill the gaps to respond to the genuine quests of the people’s and to create publicly trusted government institutions, he stated. Scholars from different fields are participating on the process of amendment and enactment of the proclamations, Nammi said.
He further noted that in addition to the recommendations of scholars, to boost public participation in every legal issue, the house is on the process to implement teleconference, mobile application, and free hot line by posting the draft bills on website to gather public recommendation.
After improvement, to fill implementation gaps of the proclamations, the house takes serious reform measurements including amending the houses rule and structural adjustments like making the standing committees effective to supervision and monitoring duties, he stated. Minister Organizations also have signed memorandum with standing committees and the power of standing committee is became parallel with the ministerial level to take actions, he stated.
The Ethiopian Herald, December 29/2018
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
