By: Modou Touray
Hon. Seedy S.K Njie, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly who doubles as chairperson of the standing committee on defense and security has said effective parliamentary oversight averts political threats and other challenges in the security sector.
He was delivering a statement at a forum in Senegalese capital Dakar held on 6th-7th December 2022 on the theme: “Prevention and security: the challenges of neighborhood and community security in Africa.”
“Parliamentarians can play an important role in averting political threats by promoting good governance through effective oversight and ensuring effective functioning of democratic institutions.
Achieving good governance requires the existence of a strong, effective and efficient parliament. This is so because parliament plays a crucial role in gauging, collating and presenting the views and needs of the people, articulating their expectations and aspirations in determining the national development agenda. As an oversight body, parliament helps to identify problems and policy challenges that require attention,” he stated.
Hon. Seedy S.K Njie emphasized that Parliamentarians are key actors in promoting good neighbourhood security hence they are involved in creating and overseeing the legal framework within which the security sector operates. Good security, he added requires that the security sector is subordinate to democratic civilian control, and that a sound legal framework for security provision, management and oversight is an important basis for allocating roles and responsibilities in a democracy while placing limits on the use of force and political power by the government.
“Strong legislative bodies are a bedrock of representational democracies. As elected representatives, parliamentarians play an indispensable role in shaping both public policy and the way states exercise power and authority.
Parliamentarians while approving the national budgets should cater for the needs and welfare of the poor and marginalized in society. As we all know, poverty is a challenge and indeed a security threat. Parliamentarians should allocate adequate resources to ensure food self-sufficiency and access to clean and portable water,” he stressed.
He also stated that Parliamentarians should ensure that the rights of the minorities are protected and enact laws to fight drug-trafficking, illegal trade and other activities that pose threat to peace and security while underlining that parliament and government have different roles in security matters.
“They share the responsibility for keeping a well-functioning security sector. This idea of shared responsibilities also applies to the relation between political and military leaders. These two parties should not be regarded as adversaries with opposing goals. On the contrary, they need each other in order to achieve an effective, comprehensive and people-centered security policy,” he said.
