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these changes depend on the existence of clearly demarcated roles and responsibilities of staff
members, including job descriptions.
5.
Strengthen internal reporting and archiving systems
There is a need to improve internal reporting and archiving systems in order to provide a basis
for greater communication, access to information, transparency and historical accuracy; and
while this area was not a major priority for workshop participants, it did emerge as a key
concern during interviews. The nexus of this is strengthening the existing Hansard system
which currently has few staff who have received sufficient training. Arguably, this is an ideal
window of opportunity to utilize the foreign study trip approach in order to expose staff to
Hansard reporting systems. Thinking more widely, there is a considerable level of support
among members of parliament in both chambers to improve how information about the work of
parliament is gathered and stored in a central database, shared through regular parliamentary
gazettes or bulletins, and made available to the public (thereby linking with the strategic
communications sub-category). To an extent, addressing weaknesses in internal
communications will facilitate better external communications, while also helping to promote a
better relationship between the two chambers.
6.
Address the skills-remit ‘mismatch’ within the Guurti
In addition to the need to clarify the arrangements for (s)electing
Guurti
members, on the basis
of interviews it is further recommended that the apparent “mismatch” between the widening role
and remit of the
Guurti
and the entry requirements for members is addressed. The two entry
points here are to either review the remit of the
Guurti
in order to ensure their remit matches
members’ skillset, or to review entry requirements in order to ensure that the chamber possesses
adequate capacity to review and draft legislation.
Independent of which route is taken, there is a further need to revisit the
Guurti’s
“traditional”
functions that relate directly to peace and security and ensure that the chamber is able to fulfill
this important role. The most significant challenge facing
Guurti
members in this regard is their
lack of transportation, and, increasingly, a lack of legitimacy for members who are in post not
through election but by inheritance. Nevertheless, in a context where peace and security is a
major concern, particularly in the east of the country, the
Guurti
offers a sensible entry point for
pursuing localized dispute resolution.
7.
Address problems relating to leadership structures within parliament
Although there was a level of disagreement between members of parliament and members of
parliamentary leadership of the House of Representatives, it would appear that there are a
number of issues relating to the committee structure that need to be addressed. In particular,
participants were keen to emphasize the apparent lack of power the heads of committees possess
when executing their functions. The high level of concern regarding the apparent “dictatorship
of the speaker” within the lower house is concerning and requires further investigation, in line
with strengthening the capacity of committees to fulfill their oversight function (see below).
This also relates to a wider issue of how roles and responsibilities of various actors within
parliament are defined, communicated and understood, with a high demand from members of
