PAP introduces rules on tenure of parliamentarians

PAP introduces rules on tenure of parliamentarians
Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has introduced a set of rules and protocols that will make it possible for its members to serve the body in a permanent five-year term instead of the current system which limits membership to elected parliamentarians of member nations.

In an interim report presented by Zely Pierre Massanga, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on rules, privileges and discipline, PAP said the national assemblies of member countries would however still be responsible for determining who to send to the body as representative.

It said with the new protocol on rules and discipline, anyone can aspire to represent his country in PAP and remuneration and allowances of the delegates will be borne by their government once they have been elected and accredited by their parliaments.

The committee said, out of the five-per-country delegate to the Pan-African Parliament, two must be women before they would be allowed to participate in the deliberations of the PAP.

African Union response

On the issue of African Union responses to the continents’ crises, Nigeria’s Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba said the AU has not been as swift as expected in responding to many problems affecting Africa.Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba

He said although the continent has some very peculiar problems, the efforts being put up by the Pan-African Parliament would help provide opportunity for such problems to be resolved efficiently.

Ratification of protocols

The Pan- African Parliament has continued to call for the ratification of the protocol setting up the body so that its deliberations, protocols and resolutions would become acceptable rules to be observed by member countries.

About eight countries, among them, Egypt, Libya Tunisia, and Ivory Coast, which is yet to join the body, are not in attendance at the ongoing 5th ordinary session of the Second Parliament holding in Midrand, South Africa.