SANF 04 no 23
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has been launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the mission of spreading democracy, prosperity and peace across the continent.
During the the inaugural ceremony, the AU Chairperson and President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, declared that “without economic development, our political processes, our institutions will always be compromised.”
According to Chissano, without peace, “all our plans will be but a utopia. The conflicts that are affecting our continent are a true threat to our development efforts. Actually, conflicts perpetuate poverty, destroy economic and social infrastructures, and scare off potential investments. Conflicts are largely the direct cause of the economic and social backwardness of our continent.
“It was against this background that in Algiers, in 1999, we decided to prioritise the resolution of conflicts, as the focus of our action”, said Chissano, adding that “we are pleased to note the positive developments that have taken place in the process of conflict resolution, as noted in the cases of Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi, The Sudan, Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, DRC, among others.”
The AU swore in 180 members from the 36 countries that have already signed the protocol establishing the assembly. The assembly is to comprise of 265-members of the union’s 53 member states.
In another first for the continent, the PAP elected Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella from the United Republic of Tanzania as President to spearhead its affairs for the next five years. The Vice-Presidents are:
Prof F. Jose Dias Van-Du’Nem, from Angola, 1st Vice-President (South);
Dr. Mohammed Lutfi Farahat, from Libya, 2nd Vice-President (North);
Mrs. Loum N. Ne’loumsei Elise, from Chad, 3rd Vice-President (Central);
Mr. Jerome Sacca Kina Guezere, from Benin, 4th Vice-President (West).
That women make up two of the five top positions in the parliament is a clear victory for the continent especially given that women are generally absent in the higher echelons of politics and decision-making at national parliamentary levels.
“The parliament is now officially open. You have a vital role to play, honourable parliamentarians, in the implementation of the objectives and principles enshrined in the constituting acts of the union,” said the AU Commission chair, Alpha Oumar Konare, during the inauguration.
“We shall work hand-in-hand and together craft a credible political road-map, rooted in good governance,” he added.
The setting up of the parliament is in line with the decision of the African Union (AU) adopted by the Second Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2003, in Maputo, Mozambique.
Within the initial period, the PAP shall have consultative and advisory powers only, with the aim of ultimately evolving into an institution with full legislative powers.
The PAP has a vital role to play in the implementation of the objectives and principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the Union, particularly, with regard to the protection of human rights consolidation of democratic institutions, popularisation and promotion of good governance.
The parliament also brings together representatives from different families or political sensitivities and ideologies. “They emanate from the rich diversity and democratic processes existing in our countries”, said Chissano, stressing that “with your action, you will contribute to the promotion of an ever-growing climate of political convergence through discussion, deepening and codification of values that will overcome the barriers that still prevent us from full integration”.
“The Pan-African Parliament we are inaugurating will, for some time, be the forum of the representatives of African Parliaments. Thus, members of this Organ have the critical task of working towards the gradual laying down of the pillars that will sustain the true Pan-African Parliament. It is necessary to contemplate the rich diversity of the parliamentary practices of our countries, in order to identify the elements or traits that may show us the way we should follow so as to reach the desired harmonisation”, he said.
With the launching of the PAP, “the whole world shall be watching to see what added value this organ is going to contribute to our plan of building a strong and prosperous African Union, and a reliable partner for the various regions in the world”, said Chissano. (SARDC)
