'New dawn for Africa'
2003-06-30 13:33
Cape Town - The launch of a Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will truly herald a new dawn for the peoples of Africa, deputy president Jacob Zuma said on Monday.
"It would, for the first time, at a continental level, give a voice to elected African representatives to monitor, and hold accountable the leaders of our time," he said in his opening address to a meeting of Presiding Officers and Members of Parliament from parliaments of the African Union in Cape Town.
The dream of a better organised and united Africa was a dream that Africans "have dared to dream for decades".
"It is also this vision that had inspired the formation of the Organisation for African Unity, and last year the African Union," he said.
One of the most important instruments of the AU was contained in the Protocol calling for the establishment of a Pan-African Parliament.
"This is so because a parliament in which the voices of all Africans are heard is a necessary tool, not only to deepen democracy but also to give expression to the aspirations of Africans everywhere."
The participation of the people in democratic institutions, and the ability of parliamentarians to fight for the interests of the people, would ensure the success of the PAP.
"We need to address the root causes of conflict and poverty that is often a tragic consequence.
"As an organ of the African Union, your participation in conflict resolution and conflict management is critical and I hope once established, the Pan African Parliament will play a key role in this regard," he said.
The establishment of a continental Parliament was a crucial step in the full establishment of the AU.
The PAP Protocol required ratification by a simple majority of member states.
Zuma said that while he was pleased that as of April 28, 30 member states had signed, he appealed for greater enthusiasm, as only 19 had so far ratified it.
These included Botswana, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Togo.
It still needed to be ratified by another eight countries to meet the required 27.
The PAP was so far the only appropriate institution to ensure that governments and states in the continent implemented the AU programmes by exercising the oversight on governments and states, Zuma said.
- SAPA