BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED
With the 6th general election entering crucial stage of campaign, the present occupants of the Ethiopian parliament are in their dying months of their last and 6th extraordinary year.
The current parliament has presided over important events in the country in its tenure. The parliament has indeed witnessed moments of joy and tragedy over the last years as the country has gone through constant political dynamics and make-or-break reform periods.
Like many others though, member of the parliament are criticized for being the voice of ruling party only failing to entertain diversity of ideas the House’s sessions despite little improvement.
The fact that the parliament seats are controlled by the ruling only have partly prevented diversity of idea and heated debate. Some even dare to call it ‘rubberstamp parliament’.
Experts criticize the law makers also for being under the influence of the executive body and failing to fulfill its responsibility in terms of overseeing the activities the latter. Members of the parliament are also being criticized for being loyal to their party instead of being a true representative of their electorate.
In the past years, there were widespread violation of human rights, waste of resources, and corruption in our country. But, instead of following up on these problems and getting them corrected, members of the parliament were largely silent and condoned such acts, said Amdegebriel Admassu, senior legal expert. “They [MPs] were under the influence of the executive bodies.”
He also noted that even they [MPs] were passing laws that go against the Constitution. Now, we need members of the parliament who can formulate strong policies that can take our country out of its current predicament, he indicated.
“We need visionary, educated, experienced, and patriot MPs in the future. The new parliament must have a clear understanding of the politics of our country, the region and the world.”
He said: “Given the current situation of our country, a lot of work had to be done in terms of parliamentary diplomacy.” But, various successful diplomatic activities have been carried out with in the past three years by the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, he added.
He urged that Ethiopia needs to learn from the experience of other countries that have strong parliament. Many African countries like Kenya and South Africa have strong parliaments.
As a nation, we need members of parliament who are genuine representatives of the people, who work hard for the rule of law, who effectively oversee the executive bodies, and who do a lot of work in terms of parliamentary diplomacy, Amdegebriel insisted.
As to him, the government needs to widen the political space to make the parliament where the various voices of the peoples are heard properly.
For his part, Dejen Yemane (PhD candidate), law lecturer at Wollo University, said that former members of the parliament were issuing repressive laws like anti-terrorism, media, and Civil Societies’ Organizations laws, and others.
By approving the laws what the members of the parliament reflecting were not the public’s interests that should be protected by these laws; it was the interest of a particular political party.
He also insisted that the country needs a parliament that not only makes laws but also enforces them and oversees the executive bodies properly.
“Considering the current situation in Ethiopia, we also need MPs who can fulfill their constitutional responsibilities,” he stated.
As to him, the MPs should act as their electorate, not as individuals. In other words, they need to be a true representative of their voters.
He urged that the House should not be the property of a single political party if it is to generate ideas that benefit the country. “The political space needs to be widened and all parties should be given equal opportunity,” he insisted. He added, “In this regard, the role of government is very significant.”
Late this week, the First Annual Parliamentary Research Conference was held at UN Economic Commission Africa under the theme: “Parliament, Democracy, Good Governance, and Human Rights”.
It was learnt that the two-day conference was organized by the Secretariat Office of House of Peoples’ Representatives in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The Secretariat Office of the House of Peoples’ Representatives also signed memorandum of understanding with the member institutions of the Parliamentary Research Network (PRN) to work cooperatively in the fields of research and other technical works through the PRN.
It was also revealed that the main objective of the conference is to provide a platform for parliamentary research services to establish mutually beneficial partnerships for sharing best practices, information and knowledge; build capacity of its members and promote evidence based policies and legislations.
Establishing linkages between researchers and legislators, strengthening capacity of legislative researchers through exchange and sharing of best practices, knowledge and experiences; transforming research services
uptake and evidence use for decision making were among the very objectives of the conference.
A strong parliamentary research support can play a crucial role in improving legislative decision making capacity and strengthening democracy, said House Speaker Tagesse Chaffo.
Reliable facts and analysis contribute to better understanding of problems, provide more realistic and effective legislative solutions to those problems, and can predict the impact of laws before they are adopted, he added.
“In line with the reforms that the House has undertaken for the past two years, the establishment of the Parliamentary Research Network is worth highlighting,” he noted.
He further indicated that the network will better facilitate for parliamentarians to closely access evidence based data and analysis to better perform their duties in passing legislations and holding the government to account.
On the other hand, it opens the House for the various academia, research institutions and other relevant stakeholders to conduct useful research that will better equip the legislature, as to him.
In his opening speech, Prof. Afework Kassu, Ministry of Science and Higher Education State Minister, the Parliamentary Research Network is a solid proof to the ongoing reform in the House of Peoples’ Representatives that promotes evidence based legislative decision making.
It is an important platform to display professional, scholarly, and scientific engagement and support of experts and institutions, he noted. It also offers access to continental and global knowledge, experience, dimension, and technology to members of the parliament, as to him.
The Ethiopian Herald February 21/2021
