SADC’s Parliament Might Prevent Regional Conflicts

6 June 2011

Lubango — The vice chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)’s Parliamentary Forum, Marie Louise Mwange, said she believes that the creation of the regional parliament might help to prevent conflicts in this region and Africa in general.

Speaking to the press, in the ambit of the 29th plenary session of the SADC’s Parliamentary Forum, which is taking place in Angola’s southern province of Huila, in Lubango City, from 5 to 12 June, the SADC official considered as important that MPs continue to defend and show commitment to the creation of this organ.

“We are evolving towards SADC’s parliament, this is the major objective since the creation of the forum, it is important to make individual goals of each member state common ones” she reiterated.

Commenting in the work of the Parliamentary Forum since its creation, the DR Congo MP said that its activity has mainly focused on sensitising the heads of state of the organisation so as to facilitate the creation of this regional parliament, an approach that has been positive judging by the advances had so far.

Marie Louise Mwange explained that parliament will carry out the tasks that are currently executed by the Parliamentary Forum, such as making recommendations and programmes for SADC, as well as providing reports on the budget of the organisation.

The Parliamentary Forum of the Southern Africa Development Community was created in 1997, at the Summit of Heads of State and Government, already with the idea of eventually transforming this organ into a regional parliament.

This issue will be discussed by the SADC’s Heads of State and Government in the next summit at this level, scheduled for August, in Luanda.

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