The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, has asked legislators to reflect on their service to the country in their capacity as representatives of the people.
Oulanyah made the remarks as he adjourned Parliament for a one month recess ahead of the Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday, 09 October 2018.
“As we celebrate our 56th Independence, we need to ask ourselves certain questions. Unlike human beings, the life of a country at this age is just beginning; the system should function better, faster and deliver on its purposes and so should its institutions like Parliament,” he said.
Oulanyah challenged the MPs to ask themselves what their contribution has been in strengthening the country.
“How have we ensured that we put food on people’s tables; to create a system that enables children to work with the support of laws, policies and budget whether disabled or not?” he asked.
He asked the Legislators to think about the systems that they are putting in place to support female children, “to start the journey into adulthood and eventually growing into young mothers”.
Oulanyah added, “what have we done to make sure that we resolve our ways of dealing with crises by coming together to solve them without causing unnecessary pressure on our resources, patience and the people?”
He noted that Parliament had faced some of the tricky issues, “and instead of solving them, we have escalated them.”
“May we take this moment to reflect that the things we do here should bring peace, after all we are here to pass laws for the peace and development of our country,” he said.
Oulanyah cautioned the MPs to ensure that they perform their duties diligently as this will be a benchmark for the constituents and that their return is dependant on what they achieve in the lead up to the next general elections.
“We should bear in mind that what we do now is a reflection of what happens in the next elections and we do not want what happened in 2016 to happen again; 80 per cent of the MPs did not come back to Parliament after the election,” he said.
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