Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament has appealed to President Julius Madda Bio of Sierra Leone to champion the campaign for direct universal suffrage at the level of the Authority of the ECOWAS Heads of States and Government.
The Public Relations Department of the Parliament which disclosed this on Tuesday said Tunis made the appeal at the ongoing 2021 First Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Freetown, the Sierra Leonean capital.
According to the speaker, Parliament under his leadership remains committed to the call for direct election of members to the ECOWAS Parliament which he said was one of the strategic plans of the fifth legislature.
“I seize this opportunity to call on Your Excellency, Mr President, to kindly grant this your unwavering support by serving as the champion of this cause at the level of the Authority of Heads of States as its success will guarantee that the people have vested interest in civic affairs and being actively involved in the decision-making processes at all levels and in all dimensions,” the speaker said.
Tunis noted that since its formation in 2000, the Parliament had endeavoured to perform its role diligently.
He, however, expressed regret that the election of members by direct universal suffrage, the power to initiate legislation, and the Parliamentary Ombudsman had remained noticeable casualties.
“That is why during the inauguration of the 5th Legislature, I identified the election of members by direct universal suffrage as a key policy agenda of my tenure.
“In order to achieve this, I immediately established an Ad hoc Committee which comprises of 16 Members of Parliament and chaired by the Honorable 1st Deputy Speaker.
“To review the feasibility of achieving the election of Members to the Community Parliament by direct universal suffrage.
“The Committee successfully held its first meeting in Lagos and the report from that meeting was adopted during our last session.
“More engagements are on the way and the prospects of achieving this are high.
“You would all agree with me that direct election by the people we serve creates a sense of responsibility in the leaders and makes them realize that they have been chosen by the people to perform in a patriotic and dedicated role,” he added.
“This will compel them to use the power and authority they have in a positive way for the benefit of the masses.
“We believe that unless people participate in the development process, our set targets and objectives cannot be fully attained,” Tunis stated.
President Bio who lauded the idea of direct universal suffrage said it would promote accountability in the representation process of member states.
Pledging to lead the campaign at the highest level, Bio said he was certain that the Authority of Heads of State of the community would discuss the matter when “it is laid before them”.
He also urged ECOWAS to consider the countries in the region prime destinations for investment.
“We can do so by adopting practices, policies, and regulations (including taxation) that are uniform and even across borders.
“We should harness greater regional economic integration and more market linkages in the entire sub-region,” Bio said. (NAN)
