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REMARKS BY THE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HON. N. MOTSAMAI ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING OF THE TENTH MEETING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE SIXTH PARLIAMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO 23 SEPTEMBER 2005 |
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The Right Honourable The Prime Minister Honourable Leader of the House Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers Honourable Leaders of Political Parties Honourable Members It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you all to the Tenth Meeting of the First Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Kingdom of Lesotho. On your behalf and on my own behalf I wish to extend warm greetings to our reporters and members of the media fraternity who have come to share this day with us. Allow me to prefix my remarks by noting the following disheartening developments:
It is reported that towards the end of June, 2005 or thereabout, Hon. Munyenyembe collapsed in the Chair while presiding, and was immediately rushed to the Republic of South Africa for treatment. Nonetheless all efforts to save his life were in vain.
‘M’e ‘Malikhutsana passed away on Friday, 22nd July, 2005 after a short illness and was laid to rest on 13th August 2005.
May I request the House to rise and observe a moment of silence in honour of our departed colleague, next of kin, friends, brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACEWe convey our sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and their respective governments. Back home, we have also been struck by misfortune due to a trail of gale force which swept through some parts of the country leaving behind a lot of damage to property and some sporadic incidents of injuries. This indeed has posed a challenge which requires a united front. Business Transacted During The Ninth MeetingUpon quiet reflection it will be noted that, during the Ninth Meeting, a period between Friday 20th May and Wednesday 29th June, 2005, the House transacted the following business: • Asking and answering of questions put to the government. May I once again take this opportunity to indicate that in the absence of portfolio committees, questions remain the most important means of oversight, yet clearing the backlogs remains an illusive dream. The Honourable Ministers’ cooperation in this regard would undoubtedly go a long way in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our parliament. And indeed it is critical to note that the Honourable Ministers also have an equal responsibility to develop a shared commitment to the essentials of parliamentary democracy and processes, and make parliament function properly. • The Ministers are however commended for issuing communication in this Honourable House on public matters as follows; ¨ The Hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture made a statement regarding the World Environment Day. ¨ The Right Honourable the Prime Minister made a statement regarding the rectification of anomalies in the pensionability of married women. ¨ The Right Honourable the Prime Minister made a statement on the rationalization of remuneration packages for Members of Parliament and holders of other Statutory positions. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Finance and Development Planning made a statement on Money Laundering: Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Economic Crimes. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation made a statement on the Queen’s Baton relay for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security made a statement on briefs for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Programme and the Ministry of Agriculture’s irrigation Projects. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture made a statement to commemorate the International Day to Combat Desertification. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Local Government made a statement on the oath taken by Community Councillors on the 17 June, 2005. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare made a statement on progress report on the Anti-Retroviral Treatment Programme in Lesotho from October 2004 to May 2005. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Communication, Science and Technology made a statement on the expansion of Radio and Television coverage in Lesotho. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Communication, Science and Technology made a statement regarding the meeting of Telecom Lesotho shareholders held in Maseru on 17th June 2005. ¨ The Honourable Minister of Finance and Development Planning made a statement regarding the new proposals for debt cancellation in respect of highly indebted poor countries (HIPIC). • Bills considered, passed and presented for Royal Assent include: Race Relations, Public Service Amendment, and The National AIDS Commission. Tourism (Amendment) Bill 2005, was read the first time, laid upon the Table and published on Wednesday, 6th June 2005. • The House debated and passed among others the Motions on: ¨ Review of Salaries, Benefits and other conditions of service for Honourable Members. ¨ Adoption of the Report of the Land Policy Review Commission of 29th September 2000. ¨ Adoption of the First Report of the HIV and AIDS Committee. ¨ Establishment of Pre-Schools within the premises of the already existing Primary Schools. Parliamentary Reforms ProgrammeHonourable Members may wish to note that, the parliamentary reforms programme is still in progress, with some of the subcommittees nearing completion of their tasks. Currently the Parliamentary Reforms Committee is engaged in public outreach programme, which seeks to collect views from members of the public, regarding ways and means deemed necessary to strengthen the institution of parliament as the cornerstone of democracy, and indeed as the guardian of the ideals and principles of democracy. I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to acknowledge the support of the British High Commission and our development partners i.e. the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Association of the European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA), Development Cooperation Ireland (DCI), SADC Parliamentary Forum, towards parliamentary activities in general and the parliamentary reforms programme in particular. Their support ranges from the capacity building of both members and staff, technical assistance, as well as putting in place facilities intended for proper functioning of our parliament. Shortly after the 2002 general elections the British High Commission extended a helping hand to the new Parliament and;
Furthermore, the Forum organised and conducted a professional development seminar, culminating in a compilation of MPs Orientation Handbook, copies of which were circulated. Some of the Honourable Members and staff have had the opportunity to attend training of and participated in election observation.
A keen interest to enhance the performance of our parliament was further demonstrated by an engagement of a lead consultant ‘M’e Lyn Chiwandamira, to drive a Parliamentary Reforms Programme and the financial support which saw its launch in November 2004, together with all subsequent and related activities including the study visits to other parliaments.
The UNDP also financed the attachment of Professor Jorgen Elklit to our Parliament to assist with the preliminary needs assessment, while Mr. Michael Mataure is engaged as one of the consultants for the reforms programme. UNDP has always demonstrated an unflinching commitment to scaling up the fight against HIV and AIDS, and as such was instrumental in providing the necessary technical assistance which led to the establishment of a Committee on HIV and AIDS. UNDP has financed the activities including the training of Members serving in the foresaid committee. These include visits to other parliaments and indeed currently some members of the Committee on HIV and AIDS are in Uganda on a study visit, under the sponsorship of UNDP. In addition to the capacity building programmes, the Development Cooperation Ireland (DCI), did provide us with a prefabricated structure housing the main committee room together with office accommodation for quite a number of our staff. And I am pleased to report that the Development Cooperation Ireland has just allocated funds to the tune of about M420,000 for the Parliamentary Reforms Programme, and the current activities undertaken by the Reforms Committee are already being supported from these funds. Future Business to be presented before the Business Committee include; the Supplementary Appropriation (2004/2005) Bill, 2005, the Special Report of the Ombudsman and the Motion on Review of the Design and Colours of the National Flag. Parliamentary Oversight over International Decisions. Honourable Members, it is my considered view that, over and above this House’s diversified and multifaceted roles, there shall be an endeavour to strive to keep pace with the Executive arm of government regarding the sharing of information on international decisions, initiatives, agreements, conventions, treaties, protocols and declarations. Encapsulated in these are the following:
The list is inexhaustive. Sharing of information on the foregoing will not only facilitate the monitoring of progress, but shall enable parliament and the parliamentarians to strengthen the implementation capacity of the government. Equally important is the fact that, information is certainly going to trickle down to the majority of citizens through their representatives, the MPs who are a liaison with the central government and form a robust transmission belt. Honourable Members, I wish to take this opportunity on your behalf and on my own behalf to applaud the government in all its earnest efforts which saw our country qualify for NEPAD e-School Initiative demonstration project which was launched by The Right Honourable The Prime Minister on 25th August, 2005 at Lesotho High School Maseru. Furthermore, it is pertinent at this juncture to remind ourselves that in September 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit held in New York, the world leaders resolved to strengthen global efforts for peace, democracy, good governance, and poverty eradication while continuing to promote the principles of human rights and human dignity. This commitment was thus named the Millennium Declaration, with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) emerging as the principal means of implementing the Declaration. For the sake of emphasis I would like to state the obvious and remind the House of the eight MDGs, viz;
The House is hereby invited to note that, quite a number of meetings, whose main object was the assessment of Members States’ progress regarding the attainment of the MDGs were convened this year, the culmination of which was the United Nations Summit in the last two weeks. It is fitting therefore that, the House should consider engaging in debates on this important global agenda. MDGs 3 and 6However for the purposes of my remarks this morning, I would like to focus on MDG 3 – to promote gender equality and empower women along with MDG 6 to combat HIV and AIDS. The rationale for this is that:
Study after study confirms the stark reality that women and girls are the hardest hit by the HIV and AIDS. And it will be recalled that, at the Barcelona International AIDS Conference in July 2002, the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV and AIDS in Africa, Mr. Stephen Lewis made the same assertion and said: “The toll on women and girls is beyond human imagining; it presents Africa and the world with a practical and moral challenge, which places gender at the centre of the human condition. The practice of ignoring gender analysis has turned out to be lethal. For the African continent, it means economic and social survival. For the women and girls of Africa, it’s a matter of life or death.” Furthermore, in his address, delivered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Summit on Global Issues in Women’s Health, Philadelphia, 26th April, 2005, Mr. Lewis relived the words used by the Leaders of the SADC region which is at the epicentre of the pandemic, to describe the plight of their respective countries. He said the President of Zambia used the word holocaust, the President of Botswana used the word extermination and The Right Honourable The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho used the word annihilation. The House may wish to underscore that, whereas these words are true, and nothing else but the truth, it has been observed that they apply overwhelmingly to women. Honourable Members, being indifferent to this state of affairs can best be described with the words of a British Statesman, Winston Churchill as; Basking in a strange paradox, where we can only be; decided to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity and all-powerful to be impotent. On the basis of the aforesaid there can be no denying that the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal number 3 – to promote gender equality and empower women has to be at the core of all our strategies intended to step up the fight against the HIV and AIDS. Announcements The House is invited to note that; · The Speaker of the National Assembly of Lesotho is the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Conference of the Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers (Africa Region). The incumbent’s tasks include: convening the meeting of the Committee and hosting the Conference. The first task was accomplished early this year and the Conference is scheduled to take place on the 2nd – 5th November 2005, here in Maseru. The support of this Honourable House will be highly appreciated. · Honourable Bereng Sekhonyana shall take the seat in the PRC Sub-Committee on Standing Orders and the Rules of Procedure, a vacancy which was created by the sad passing on of Honourable Morapeli Motaung. (May His Soul Rest in Peace), while Honourable Seabata Thabisi will be taking Honourable Metsing Lekhanya’s place in the Public Accounts Committee. · The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Mr. Benjamin William Mkapa, is due to arrive today on a State visit to Lesotho. The flight he will be travelling in is scheduled to arrive at Moshoeshoe I International Airport today at 14.30hrs. Honourable Members are invited to the State Banquet held in his honour tonight, Friday 23rd September, 2005 at Maseru Sun Cabanas at 2030hrs. The attire is dark suits for Gentlemen and evening wear for ladies. It is now my humble duty to declare the Tenth Meeting of the First Session of the Sixth Parliament officially open. 27 September 2005 |
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| source: National Assembly |