The Leader of Opposition, Hon. Matthew Wale, has advised the Government to establish an internal legislative mechanism to improve the overall quality and efficiency of lawmaking.
Hon. Wale made the proposal during his response to the motion of special adjournment moved by Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.
Speaking on the proposed mechanism, Hon. Wale said that a dedicated internal legislative affairs committee should be established within Government that mirrors the work of the Bills and Legislation Committee.
“It would be good if Government establishes an internal legislative affairs committee that pulls in stakeholders, fine-tunes policy issues, and resolves drafting matters before a bill reaches Cabinet or Caucus,” Hon. Wale said.
Hon Wale pointed out that many bills reach Cabinet without proper scrutiny due to time and capacity constraints.
“We know that when bills reach Caucus or Cabinet, no one reads them. An internal legislative committee ensures that policy choices are refined, and issues unidentified can be dealt with early. By the time it comes to caucus and cabinet, it is given a true blessing,” Hon. Wale added.
Hon. Wale emphasized that such reform would ease pressure on the BLC and improve its effectiveness.
“The Bills Committee simply does not have the time or capacity to deal with everything properly at that stage. Therefore, preparatory work must happen earlier.” Hon. Wale said.
Hon. Wale concluded by urging Prime Minister Manele to consider the proposal, stressing that it would strengthen the link between policy and legislation and enhance the overall legislative process.
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[Source: Leader of the Opposition Press]
