African Parliamentarians tasked on political stability

Jerry Rawlings
Former Ghanaian President

African Parliamentarians tasked on political stability
Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

The former Ghanaian President and Africa Union’s High Level Representative to Somalia, Jerry Rawlings has urged African parliamentarians to brace up to the task of creating political stability and security within their individual countries and beyond.

He told the conference of African Speakers at the Pan- African Parliament in Midrand, Johannesburg, that it was time the role of the electorate in exercising control over their representatives should be given a serious thought, as they were elected into parliament to represent the views of the people and to take decisions on their behalf in line with national interest. 

Need for change

Jerry Rawlings said parliamentarians needed to change if they were to be relevant pointing out that it was evident that they had not shown enough courage to check the excesses of leaders, whose deeds went against the national interest, violated people’s rights, and blatant disregard for the rule of law.

The AU High Level Representative said the institution of parliament should be ready to defend and protect the fundamental ethics of freedom, justice probity and accountability as well as enforce transparency in politics.

He observed that it was of no use to have the power to make law and not be able to check the excesses of the executive with regards to the observance of the rule of the law.
He said there were a lot of external influences in the crises which have beclouded Africa and that this could have been avoided had parliamentarians lived up to their billings.

On Somalia, Jerry Rawlings, expressed concern over millions of Somalis which lost about 80 youths most of them students who had been on the queue where they were applying for scholarship to study in Turkey.

He called for a strong condemnation of the cowardly acts of those who have lost the battle against the African Union peace mission to the country.

Williams