Here is what parliament can do to boost community engagement

Editor, RE: “Parliament goes into recess” (The New Times, December 7). I have to say that I am enjoying following up this particular Parliament (maybe now I have more access to the internet) but I also suspect that it [Parliament] has deliberately adopted an open door policy towards the media. They have been very active on social media, especially on Twitter, although I am not sure if they are on Facebook yet. To this I say congrats to Speaker Donatile Mukabalisa for the transparency. I also realised the MPs are also thorough with discussions on a number of laws which I have had a chance to follow, especially the constitutional ammendment, which was discussed with real maturity and appreciation of the environment Rwanda is in. I also noted that more and more groups are resorting to parliamentary interventions, as well as the visits that the parliamentarians conducted to solve the issues faced by the citizens. I have two requests though to the concerned: 1. For the Parliament to work with Rwanda Broadcasting Agency and give us live broadcasts of the deliberations through TV, internet and radio. I do know there is a Parliament radio but I’m not sure if it works or if the general population, especially in the rural areas are aware of this, but they need to reach to the rural folks for more participation. As President Paul Kagame says, democracy is not just elections, but ensuring that all citizens are engaged at every level of Government as much as possible and nowhere is this more crucial than where laws are discussed and adopted. 2. The second is to update their website with new laws, those under deliberations etc. The website could also provide a chance for people to give their comments online on the proposed laws that are under deliberations. I wish the team success in future sessions. Kigali Girl

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Here is what parliament can do to boost community engagement