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Herald Reporter
President Mokgweetsi Masisi has pledged to sign an agreement amending the SADC Treaty to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) into a fully-fledged SADC Parliament.
This comes as Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda on Tuesday led a high-level delegation of the SADC PF to meet President Masisi in Gaborone, Botswana, in an effort to secure that country’s support.
Botswana is among some of the SADC member States that are yet to sign the agreement to amend the SADC Treaty that will effectively recognise the SADC Parliament as one of the bloc’s institutions.
During the just-ended 44th summit of the Heads of State and Government, member States were encouraged to sign the treaty and submit comments to the Secretariat on the Draft Protocol on the SADC Parliament within six months after the draft protocol had been shared.
Speaking during the meeting, Adv Mudenda said the move to make the SADC PF part of the regional bloc’s institution was gaining momentum, with Mauritius and Madagascar having in principle committed to depositing their signatures after the 44th SADC Summit.
“We are in consultation with the Comoros, who are not yet a member of the SADC PF, but through the Indian Ocean grouping, have indicated willingness to sign, in solidarity with all member States that are bound by the SADC Treaty,” he said.
“To that extent, the lobby team is happy that 12 member States have now signed up the agreement to amend the SADC Treaty which is now in force. Accordingly, and in the spirit of inclusivity, it now behoves Botswana to sign up as the headquarters of SADC, to which the regional Parliament will be part of its organ once the amended SADC Treaty has been acceded to by member States.”
Adv Mudenda acknowledged the strategic role that Botswana plays in the regional integration agenda and expressed gratitude to the country’s active participation in the affairs of SADC.
In accordance with the endorsed road map by successive SADC Summits, the transformation proposal for the SADC Parliament will not interfere with the authority of member States in accordance with the principle of sovereignty as envisaged in the SADC Community, which is anchored in its constitutive Treaty and the now enforced Agreement that the SADC PF transforms into a regional Parliament.
Adv Mudenda added that the transformation was grounded solely on an increase in linkages between SADC organs with the regional Parliament having a deliberative role among other responsibilities.
There are no other financial, legal or impeding administrative implications to consider which did not exist already pursuant to the operations of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, he added.
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Annual subscriptions of member States which constitute the core revenue of the organisation would not be raised as a result of the transformation process.
In terms of governance, the SADC Forum has always been given a clean bill on audits, both internally and externally. Furthermore, the SADC Parliament will be the fifth anchor to the PAP, which to date, has been the missing gap.
Added Adv Mudenda: “We plead with you, Your Excellency, to sign the agreement to establish a regional Parliament, which will serve as a pivotal pillar in advancing SADC’s regional multifaceted integration, particularly in alignment with the SADC Summit”s current focus on industrialisation. This will enable us to march together as a united region for the common good of Parliamentary democracy and the developmental aspirations of the SADC citizenry.
“We note with gratitude that the 44th Summit of the Heads of State and Government guided that member states who have not signed the agreement amending the SADC Treaty were urged to sign the treaty and recognise the SADC Parliament as one of the SADC institutions. Further, that member states were urged to submit comments to the secretariat on the draft protocol on the SADC Parliament within six months after it has been shared on August 18 2024.”
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