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Sitta: Criticism vital in good governance
2007-12-11 10:04:43
By Hannah Mwandoloma, Bagamoyo
Speaker of the National Assembly Samuel Sitta has advised that for a successful implementation of good governance in the country, it is good that the government remains open to criticism and public scrutiny.
Sitta said this yesterday on the sidelines of the Conference on Promoting Parliamentary Input in the implementation of the 2001 Brussels Plan of Action. The conference kicked off in Bagamoyo.
According to the House Speaker, achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) required the State to be ready to accept and work on constructive criticism, which though may sometimes be hurtful, pose a challenge that can assist the nation push forward in the development process.
Making his opening remarks earlier, Sitta said the Brussels Plan of Action, was adopted by the United Nations (UN) for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with the target of reducing poverty by 50 per cent, charging that legislators as representatives of the people can play a central role in making it succeed or fail.
``Parliamentarians are at the centre stage of any development process, I trust that this conference is a beginning of future conferences aimed at fostering exchange of ideas and information among parliaments and nations,`` he said.
The UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing Countries, Cheick Sidi Diarra, said parliamentary oversight in LDCs is crucial for sustainable development and poverty eradication.
He said despite the fact that most LDCs are multiparty democracies and have made important advances in electoral process, effective checks and balances between the various powers of the State still needed to be strengthened.
His speech was read at the conference by a UN official, Zahra Nuru.
For his part, the Director in the Division for Promotion of Democracy, Martin Chungong, said the IPU had continued to advocate and work towards a stronger role for parliaments in decision-making at the international level.
Chungong said international relations should be conducted in a democratic spirit and should therefore be more transparent and accountable.
``As you may all know the IPU formally endorsed the BPOA in Santiago, Chile in 2003 stressing, in particular, the need for the effective implementation of one of the commitments of the programme relating to good governance at the national and international levels,`` said Chungong.
The Parliamentarians who attended the two-day conference in Bagamoyo were from Tanzania, Malawi, Yemen, Benin, Madagascar, Cambodia and Niger.
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