BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED
Looking at the process of the sixth national general poll which was held last June, many are optimistic about the next parliament expected to be formed in the upcoming September. Despite some improvements, the House was considered as a rubber-stamp parliament by many.
MPs have been lambasted for enacting repressive laws for not being a voice of the public and for failing to keep the executive body in check. MPs have also been criticized for failing to fulfill their responsibility as required in terms of overseeing the activities of sector institutions and to fight widespread corruption in the previous regime.
The outgoing members of the House approached by The Ethiopian Herald also agree that, before the coming of Prime Minister (PhD) Abiy Ahmed, the parliamentarians were passive and they were not discharging their constitutional responsibilities properly.
“We [parliamentarians] were under the influence of the executive body. When MPs tried to challenge the executive they faced punitive actions from their party in the name of breaching party discipline. All the members of the House were members of one political party – Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF),” said Taddesse Messelu, the outgoing MP.
However, in various discussion forums, MPs were challenging the executive body, but, the public could not find out the truth as such discussion forums were denied media coverage, Taddesse added.
He further noted that such pressures were preventing parliamentarians from discharging their responsibilities as required.
As to him, various encouraging works have been done within the past three years because there was absolute freedom for parliamentarians. There was also relative freedom for the media institutions, and all the discussions of the parliamentarians have got media coverage, he stated.
He also indicated that it is safe to say that MPs were imprisoned before the national reform. “It was a prisoner of conscience, not a physical imprisonment.”
According to him, various changes have been made by the House as the interference of the executive body in the activities of the House has been eliminated. And also, various repressive laws have been amended.
He further noted that since the last three years, MPs have been exercising their constitutional rights properly. Article 54 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) stipulates that members of the House are representatives of the Ethiopian people as a whole and they are governed by the Constitution, the will of the people, and their conscience, but, this was hijacked by the executive body for many years, he added.
Even though article 54 (5) of the FDRE Constitution stipulates “No member of the House may be prosecuted on account of any vote he casts or opinion he expresses in the House, nor shall any administrative action be taken against any member on such grounds”, the action was being taken against MPs those who opposed the pressure of the executive body, he stated.
There are a number of examples that illustrate the pressure of the executive in the affairs of the House. “Let me give you one example MPs who raised complaints at the House’s meeting regarding Ethiopia’s 2007 (1999 E.C) population and housing census received many threats. I was one of the MPs who raised complaints at the meeting,” he indicated.
MPs are now able to raise their opinion freely without fear and they oversee the executive, he said, adding that, when necessary, they call the Prime Minister and other federal government officials to the Parliament for a hearing.
As to him, there has been no party discipline in the last three years. When the party discipline was eliminated, MPs began to come up with ideas that would benefit the country and the people.
He further opined that members of the new parliament that will be formed following the sixth national general election are better educated and more experienced than the previous ones. “I am sure that there will be good things. This needs the commitment of the executive body including the Premier,” he said.
He also urged that the executive should be supportive of the council’s work, not obstructing it.
The newly elected members of the House should be very careful when approving laws as laws may be enacted to meet the needs of some interest group, according to him.
He insisted that the legislative process of the House should involve the concerning bodies as well as the public. And also, MPs have to oversee the activities of the executive body properly.
“They must be prepared to sacrifice even their lives to protect the interests of the country and the people,” he also urged.
Abebe Godebo, outgoing MP, for his part said that it is important to categorize the activities of the House within the past six years – before and after the reform. He added that, in the first three years [before the reform] there was the influence of the executive body, and the MPs were trying to break free from the pressure. “But, these struggles were not well known to the public due to the lack of media coverage at that time,” he noted.
He further stated that, in the last three years, many inspiring works have been done by the House in terms of making laws, supervising the executive, and representing the electorate.
As everyone knows, before the national reform, the legislative process of the House had problems. MPs were being forced to approve the law that the executive body needed, he opined.
After the national reform has begun, the legislative process has been involving the stakeholders and the public by organizing public discussion forums, according to him. As a result, many laws that will benefit the country and the people have been enacted and approved, he indicated.
He further reported that many repressive like election proclamation, civic societies’ organization law, anti-terrorism law, as well as re-establishment proclamations of Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and Ombudsman Office have been amended with the participation of all stakeholders including the public. The laws were accepted by the people and the legislative process has given the people confidence in the activities of the House, he stated.
Since the last three years, MPs have also been expressing their opinions without any fear, he said, adding that the party discipline that prohibited MPs from exercising their constitutional rights has also been eliminated.
As to him, the work done by the House may not be enough depends on the needs of the people, but, they will be a good foundation for the new parliament.
He said, “I hope that the newly elected MPs do a better job than ever before as they are democratically elected representatives of the people and have better experience and education than before.” He added, “I also think the members of the new parliament will work for the benefit of the country and people and for the protection of the country’s sovereignty.
Unlike the previous, various ideas that will benefit the country and the people will be entertained as there are the representatives of opposition political parties even if they are small in number, said Mehandis Melaku, outgoing MP.
He advised that the newly elected members of the House have to work hard to ensure the unity of Ethiopians. And, they should be very farsighted and focus on big and national issues instead of discussing local and divisive issues, he insisted. “We should always think of Ethiopia. If we think and act like this, we can transform the country.”
He further urged that the legislative process should involve the public and other stakeholders. Not only making laws, but MPs should also monitor the implementation of the laws, he added.
According to him, there is relative freedom and conducive situations for the newly elected members of the House to discharge their constitutional responsibilities properly. “The capacity of the House to monitor the executive body is also growing.”
The outgoing MPs also stated that they want to see genuine representatives of the people in the parliament and fulfill their constitutional responsibilities properly and supervises the executive body. They also said they want to see the parliament that can make quality laws that ensure public participation.
The Ethiopian Herald August 8/2021
