Lawmakers strategise for final year in office

Members of the Lower Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday went on a one day retreat on the shores of Lake Muhazi for a self-assessment exercise.The retreat also aimed at strategising for their forthcoming session as the countdown towards the expiry of their four-year term comes to an end in July next year.“Recess is ending soon, we are laying a good foundation for the coming session as we cap 2012,” a legislator told The New Times preferring not to be named. The MPs resolved to have all committee rooms equipped with necessary logistics to enable members make use of IT and reduce on paper work to enhance operational efficiency.Another resolution according to a statement from parliament is that the legislators want their per diem increased to an amount they did not specify.Currently, an MP is entitled to a daily stipend of Rwf18,000 while on duty in the countryside, accommodation is catered for by the parliamentary commission. Other civil servants are appropriated between Rwf5,000 to 8,000 depending on their grades.During the retreat, Speaker Rose Mukantabana, urged the MPs to be courageous enough to assess themselves and own up to failures and take credit for work well done where it is due. “Making mistakes is human,” the Speaker told the members who seemed to struggle in finding comfort in a poorly ventilated classroom-type hall. The Speaker reminded her colleagues that they had less than one year in office and needed to put in considerable efforts if they are to leave a mark.The current parliament was voted in office on July 5, 2008 in a landmark election that left made Rwanda the first country in the wold with a women-dominated parliament at 56 per cent. “Individually let’s reflect on how we have acted in the House,” said the Speaker. Parliament has been on recess since August 7 and resumes business on October 5.This newspaper reported in early August that parliament had gone into a two-month recess leaving behind a total 42 bills to attend to signaling a busy schedule for the House as it resumes work on October 5.The Director General of Communications and Outreach at Parliament, Augustin Habimana, said then that 28 bills were under scrutiny by respective committees while 14 others were ready for the floor.Among the bills at the committee level is the Information Communications Technology Bill which has lingered in the house for the last 10 months, while the committee on social affairs is also considering a draft of the Pensions Act that seeks to raise the retirement age from 55 to 60 years.

National

Lawmakers strategise for final year in office