Speaker reminds legislature to work in public interest

The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, has charged the legislature to champion the needs of the citizenry and eschew acts that could jeopardise the country’s democracy.

According to him, the public interest should override that of the legislators.

He made this known during the opening of a professional development seminar for clerks of parliaments.

“The greatest threat for democratic experiment will be the failure of the legislature and the political class to respond to the needs of this new breed of public and this society in general,” he stated, adding: “The public is, therefore, expectant that we will, as parliamentary administrators, propose innovative ways of responding to the interest and concerns of the public. This is essential if our respective democracies must stand the test of time.”

He cited the Burkina Faso example to emphasise the need for the legislature to operate in the interest of the public.

Citing the example of Burkina Faso as a warning, Mr Adjaho said: “…Despite public outcry, the national assembly’s persistence in considering an amendment to the constitution to make the incumbent president eligible for an extension of his term resulted in the storming of the legislative building by the private citizenry, and the burning down of the facility,” a situation he believes “should be a constant reminder and a warning post to us that public interest should be the reason for our existence,” he said.