Deputy speaker and MPs supportive of the deal walk out of the house and the Minister of Commerce deny knowledge of purported fuel depot privatization plan and also said that the Parliament got no rights.
What the Minister of Commerce doesn’t understand is the role of Parliament & duties.
The MPs exercise control over the executive through Parliamentary interventions such as Question Hour, Zero Hour, Calling Attention Motion, Adjournment Motion, No-confidence Motion, Censure Motion and other discussions. MPs also supervise the executive by participating in committees like Public accounts, estimates, Public undertakings and various other department related standing and ad-hoc committees. No tax can be levied and no expenditure incurred by the government except with the approval of the Parliament. The Budget is therefore presented to the Parliament.
Parliamentary control over executive in matters of Finance is:
- Budgetary control
- Post-budgetary control (through financial committees –that some MPs in rotation are a part of).
Every MP is the voice for his/her constituency. Every MP has to raise issues of his constituency in Parliament through questions, debates etc. An MP can also play a role in implementing projects in his/her constituency by following up on projects at the level of the District Collectorate or at the State government and Central government level.
It’s a shame to have such person in our government and he is not to blame because our parliament is known to be greedy and corrupted but the bigger image “Somaliland” has been damaged when the Minister of Commerce publicly gave an interview that has tarnished the grandeur of our nation. And when it comes to accountability it is the worst word that gives migraine to our government. Discussions about accountability focus mainly as a formality and delivering services to people are ineffective and inefficient. Rarely is accountability discussed in terms of asking the government to account for the extent to which it meets previously agreed standard policies which is Zero, and every bill that was presented to the parliament has always passed blindly but for once for the past five years since Kulmiye Party won the elections in 2010 this is the first deal that the parliament rejected. No wonder it’s been called by so many ‘Despicable’.
