By Amin Kef Sesay
Head of the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), Andrew Lavalie, has stated that if Sierra Leone is to move its development agenda forward credibly, sustainably, robustly and incrementally, the role of Parliament in ensuring transparency and accountability by the MDAs is key.
In part two of these series on Parliament’s role in ensuring Transparency and Accountability in the administration and management of the resources and finances of the State, veteran APC MP, Hon. Ibrahim Sorie in a speech to the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja in 2010 highlighted that The Lome Peace Accord of 1998 and its subsequent corollaries of Abuja I and II in 2000, which ended the country’s civil war ushered in peace, made provision for key reforms in governance, the responsible use of mineral resources proceeds and fiscal accountability.
He applauded the country for breaking new grounds in democratic governance, having operationalized the 1991 multiparty democratic constitution and decentralization with Local Councils in place in addition to a vibrant civil society participation in our governance.
Likewise, he mentioned reforms in the public sector aimed at strengthening State institutions, public financial management and modernization of the economy with the assistance of our development partners that he said are yielding positive results in our overall governance.
Towards which end he said, Section 93 and 94 of the 1991 Sierra Leone Constitution empowers Parliament to constitute session departmental oversight committees to supervise policy implementation and strengthen transparency and accountability in the deployment of Government funds, their utilization and tangible performance results. Such functions are often accomplished by field visits, special committee hearings and session reports to the whole House of Parliament.
He added that in carrying out our oversight responsibility Parliament form alliances or partnerships with civil society and other accountability institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, Audit Service Sierra Leone, Office of the Ombudsman and the media.
“We embark on this arrangement in a bid to enforcing accountability and transparency for the enhancement of human rights and development,” he said.
The seasoned MP, speaking to colleague ECOWAS MPs, maintained that there is still huge room to improve the functionality of the Sierra Leone Parliament by enhancing its capacity to fully deliver on its statutory mandate as lead enforcer of social accountability to improve the welfare and human rights of the general citizenry.
The following, he said, are the imperatives for the effective discharge of our parliamentary oversight function:
- Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation—there is need for the establishment of a robust parliamentary research, planning, monitoring and evaluation committee to:
- Coordinate the research needs of Parliament; to establish networks and partnership with research institutions and the academia.
- Ensure that Parliament has a robust strategic plan spelling priority intervention in its oversight responsibility over the medium term.
To make Parliament effective and efficient in its oversight role, Hon. Ibrahim Sorie said that there is need for a clearly and robustly articulated monitoring system in discharging the oversight responsibility of Parliament.
According to the country’s former Parliamentary Leader and Leader of Government Business, Parliament has a responsibility of ensuring the implementation of all legislations and national policies.
Therefore, there is need for follow up with the Executive institutions on the implementation process by Parliament to identify gaps in the process and proffer corrective measures where necessary.
(End of this discourse on Parliament’s transparency and Accountability role by Hon. Ibrahim Sorie next edition)
