State MPs need proper induction on standing orders
On Tuesday, the Speaker of the Eastern Equatoria State Reconstituted Legislative Assembly, Maira Janu, issued a stern warning to the members of parliament against indecent dressing during parliamentary proceedings.
The warning came after the speaker noticed that most of the MPs were not in the required dressing code during their first sitting on Monday. It was reported that some of them dressed in jeans.
Maira urged the MPs to take their dressing code seriously to avoid being kicked out of the house during the next sitting.
“Most of you are dressing indecently. It is not good when you come in your shaking clothes. That cannot represent the will of the people, because when you are coming here, you are honourable members. When you are an honourable member, you also need to be honourable in respect, “he said.
This warning from the Eastern Equatoria State speaker is so serious that it relays a picture of the kind of people the political parties have sent to the parliament.
Indeed, the political parties do not have the necessary capacity, expertise, and resources to develop MPs and provide them with the specialised training they need, but the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs must build the capacity of the MPs.
To conduct themselves well during parliamentary proceedings, state members of parliament require induction on the regulations and conduct of the legislature’s business. Good conduct always starts with oneself through the dressing style.
It has been over two months since the state legislatures were reconstituted. But as of late, only four states (Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, and Lakes State) have sworn in their members of parliament. So, these two months of redundancy should have been used for the induction training for the state lawmakers.
MPs have diverse roles to play. They participate in debates, process legislation, conduct inquiries, and scrutinise government performance and budgets. They also consult with the public and serve the people in their constituencies.
We are aware that most of the MPs have never been to parliament. However, they should know that being an MP is more than they had imagined and that it will be a steep learning curve since the majority of them are newcomers and have no prior legislative experience. So, they have to go through training.
Nonetheless, it is easier for the new MPs coming from established parties such as the SPLM-IG because they have an advantage as they can learn from the knowledge and experience of their colleagues. But the situation will not be similar for those whose parties have never had representation in the legislative body before. So, MPs from smaller parties have to spread themselves among other colleagues to learn from them.
Although there are no specific educational requirements to become a parliamentarian, induction training can provide MPs with a broad understanding of how the parliament works and how to introduce motions. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs should ensure that all the state MPs undergo induction training to represent their constituencies very well.
