Participants in Midrand, South Africa (three committees)

The five-day meeting of the eleven Permanent Committees of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) which began on Monday 20 November in three countries namely South Africa, Ethiopia and Burundi have been marred by low turnout of members of the Parliament. The Third Vice President of the Parliament, Hon. Lucia Maria Mendes Goncalves Dos Passos as well as the Chairpersons of the Regional Caucuses were also noticeably absent in an obvious show of lack of confidence in the leadership imposed on the Parliament by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

According to the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament, there are eleven committees and each committee has about thirty parliamentarians. Rule 22(7) states that “the quorum for each committee shall be an absolute majority of its members” which means that the quorum for a committee meeting of 30 parliamentarians is 16. So we should have expected a minimum of 120 parliamentarians in the three meeting venues for quorum but only about 40 parliamentarians are in attendance. This number is not even up to half of the required quorum to conduct any business, implying that no valid decisions or recommendations can emanate from the meetings.

Four Committees namely Committee on Audit and Public Accounts (CAPA); the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline; the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters and the Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment are meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Of those four committees with expected 64 minimum participants for quorum, only about 15 are in attendance including one committee chairperson out of four.

In seat of the Parliament in Midrand, South Africa three committees namely Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology; the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolutions and the Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources are having their meeting. However, of the three committee chairpersons expected at the meeting, only one is in attendance. Of the three committees with expected 48 minimum participants for quorum, only 9 are in attendance.

Four committees are meeting in Burundi namely Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs; Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs; Committee on Gender, Family, Youth and People with Disability and Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Again, out of the potential 64 minimum participants for quorum, only 16 are in attendance with one committee Chairperson.

This implies that the number of parliamentarians in the three countries does not even make up the membership of two Committees. Yet eleven (11) committees are altogether meeting.

It was alleged that the attendance in Midrand was so pathetic that staff of the Secretariat were instructed to resort to Joint Meeting of the Committees and even then, the number of Members in Midrand if put together do not even equate to the membership of one Committee. The same applies in Bujumbura and Addis Ababa. Staff were even instructed to attend the meetings to give them a measure of “respectability” and a false impression that MPs were in attendance.

Traditionally, when Committees meet, the purpose is to execute their mandate and respective work plans which demands that they meet separately according to their thematic areas. Convening Joint Sittings has been forced by lack of quorum.

Generally, parliamentary committee meetings are integral components of the legislative process, designed to enhance the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of parliamentary activities. They serve several essential purposes, contributing to the overall functioning of a parliamentary system. It is in committees that members delve into specific policy areas and conduct detailed analyses of issues within their purview. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of complex topics and informs the development of well-informed policy recommendations.

Committee meetings also provide an opportunity for members of parliament to actively engage in discussions, ask questions, and contribute to the development of legislation and policies. This allows for a more collaborative and participatory approach to decision-making.

In essence, parliamentary committee meetings are forums where detailed and specialized work is conducted to support the legislative and oversight functions of parliament. They provide a structured and organized way for parliamentarians to collaborate, investigate, and contribute to the development of legislation and policies that impact the well-being of the nation.

Our correspondent reports that a number of factors contributed to the low turn-out of parliamentarians. First was the recent memo from the African Union Commission which declared that the five-member Bureau that has been reduced to two members lack the quorum to conduct any business. The meeting which was convened in defiance of the AUC memo was considered by many as illegal. Secondly, parliamentarians saw through the divide and rule tactics as they believed that the meetings should as usual, have been convened in Midrand, South Africa and members from countries which have undergone elections should have been sworn-in first as was the case in March Sitting.

The 3^rd Vice President was also alleged to have accused the Second Vice President, Hon. Dr. Ashebir Gayo of unilaterally taking decisions without consulting her even when two of them are the remaining members of the Bureau, a situation which she said, had dented the image of the Parliament. She noted that Dr. Gayo had previously convened plenary session for last October which did not hold and accused him of not having the courtesy to inform the parliaments why that session could not hold.

Pundits also noted that there is significant evidence of a structural deviation from established parliamentary framework for the proper discharge of committee functions where topics slated for deliberations were outside of the core committee competency. There are also notable incompatible thematic alignments in a manner in that created incoherence in the statutory functions or core technical specialty of the respective committees. Worst still, the selection of the panellists were not properly coordinated to reflect synergy with presenters expertise and appears motivated by the desire to reward loyalists with speaking spots as opposed to meaningful deliverables. Members of parliament who are not statutorily mandated or has not yet been sworn in or undergone an administration of oath are allowed to Chair Committee sessions.

Quorum for committee sitting is non-existent and laughable. It clearly undermines any meaningful output and contribution to the substance of the deliberations, and is devoid of any serious engagement that is typically attendant from the collective experience and expertise of PAP’s broad and diverse delegation.

Equally disturbing is the fact that the composition and manner in which the various committees are grouped and lumped together is devoid of any strategic calculation that would have engendered technical collaboration, coherence and consistency in the expected outcomes and resolutions. The thematic areas are not properly suited for committee sittings where experts with technical knowledge are supposed to forensically examine all issues and develop critical pathway for parliamentary intervention. The sitting is structured like a plenary with deliberations, presentations and opening ceremonies that are antithetical with parliamentary practices for permanent committees.

Above all, the meetings were evidently not convened under the African Union theme for 2023 which is “Accelerating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)” as mandated by the policy organs of the AU. Could this be a sign of defiance?

Generally, parliamentary committee meetings are integral components of the legislative process, designed to enhance the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of parliamentary activities. These meetings serve several essential purposes, contributing to the overall functioning of a parliamentary system. It is in committees that members delve into specific policy areas, conducting detailed analyses of issues within their purview. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of complex topics and informs the development of well-informed policy recommendations.