Global IssuesQ&A: Does SADC require a regional parliament?
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum has set its sights on becoming a regional parliament with law-making powers. The body was established in 1997 to create a platform for the region's legislators to share knowledge and experiences in governance.
Proponents of the transformation to a fully fledged parliament point to the need for a formal mechanism to perform an oversight and monitoring role of the SADC's work and structures. Its detractors say it will put further strain on the financial resources of member states. Moses Magadza quizzed Dr Kasuka Mutukwa, the founding Secretary General of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, about the value of such a body.
IPS: What contribution has the Forum made to advance democracy, progressive change and economic development?
Kasuka Mutukwa: I am proud to say that the SADC Parliamentary Forum has experienced exponential growth from very humble beginnings. It is a regional institution that is now known internationally as one of those organisations which have a role to play in inter-parliamentary cooperation.
We have developed strategic plans since 2000 to show the work that the Forum has done. We have developed a programme of orientation and training for parliamentarians which ultimately led to the establishment of the Parliamentary Leadership Centre. We orient members of parliament so that they are more familiar with their work in parliament. This is important because being a member of parliament is one job that does not have a job description and so MPs face challenges implementing their tasks. We have even developed manuals for them.
The centre piece of our debate is the role of parliaments in advancing democracy, development, wealth creation and poverty reduction. Other issues debated include the energy crisis, food shortages, floods and droughts and what mechanisms parliaments should have in place to exercise oversight. The Forum has observed 21 elections since 1999 to advance the cause of democratic, peaceful and transparent elections.
IPS: When it comes to elections, some people have accused the Forum of being a 'toothless bulldog'.
KM: It is true that we are not mandated to physically stop bad things. We document them and our reports are considered when a verdict on the conduct of an election is passed. It is not entirely true that people can still do strange things during an election even while we are present. The presence of election observers has a profound restraining effect on the contesting parties.
We have moral authority. We have arrived in some places where people say: 'If only you had arrived earlier, some bad things would not have happened.' So, we have actually diffused potentially explosive situations by just being there. We have also written documents on how to conduct peaceful elections.
We have been active in promoting gender equity and full participation of women in positions of decision-making. The culmination of these efforts was the adoption of a SADC Protocol on Gender in August 2008.
In the area of combating HIV and on seeking to promote knowledge and information sharing among members or parliaments, we have developed a very rigorous programme and a model law on HIV/AIDS in southern Africa.
IPS: What value would a SADC parliament add?
KM: If established, the SADC parliament would become the legislative arm of SADC and would compliment the role of the SADC Summit, Council of Ministers, and the Tribunal. It will have an oversight role and have law-making powers. It would approve the SADC budget, among other functions.
IPS: How would the SADC Parliament be funded?
KM: There is a lack of information in that regard among even ministers of finance in the region, and this is one of the issues that have delayed the SADC parliament. The plan is that the envisaged parliament should be set up and run on a budget not more than that required to run the Forum at present. So there won't be additional financial obligations to member states.
IPS: How enthusiastic are the region's political leaders about this parliament?
KM: I think more lobbying needs to be done. We paid courtesy calls on heads of state and government of the SADC member states. This was part of the Forum's efforts to build regional consensus on the need for a regional parliament. Some countries have had a change of leadership and so more needs to be done. It is a costly exercise.
IPS: You step down in a few months; how would you want to be remembered?
KM: Remember me as an institution builder. I have done nothing but build regional institutions over the past 20 years. I wish we had started lobbying for this parliament earlier. I nevertheless draw solace from the fact that we have done significant groundwork and it may not be long before the parliament becomes a reality.
© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service