Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. By James Muonwa, Mashonaland West Correspondent – NEWLY-appointed Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) member, Dought Ndiweni says he will lobby for the urgent transformation of the body into a fully-fledged regional parliament.
Ndiweni, who is also Hurungwe Central MP, said this will enable the crafting of legislation applicable to the entire SADC region in order to harness regional cooperation and integration that facilitates economic growth.
“My wish is for SADC PF to forge ahead expeditiously in transforming the Forum into a fully-fledged regional parliament,” Ndiweni told NewZimbabwe.com Saturday.
“This will enable the world to view us as one, as we will be able to craft laws for the region. These model laws, when domesticated by member parliaments, will improve governance and ease of doing business across the entire region.”
The Hurungwe Central lawmaker said concerted efforts by SADC member states in pushing for the removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe affirmed solidarity among nations, courtesy of the Forum.
“Currently, I am encouraged to note that all member parliaments are collectively condemning sanctions against Zimbabwe. Everyone realises and believes in the doctrine of ‘an injury to one, is an injury to all’. Therefore, the need to establish a regional Parliament is very urgent,” said Ndiweni.
He was recently appointed to the executive committee of the SADC PF for a two-year period.
Ndiweni now represents the country alongside Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, who sits in the executive committee as an ex-officio member.
The lawmaker is also a member of the Democratisation, Governance and Human Rights (DGHR) committee of SADC PF.
Ndiweni, a pharmacist by profession, brings a vast wealth of experience to the body, including local governance.
The SADC-PF was established in 1997 in accordance with Article 9 (2) of the SADC Treaty as an autonomous institution of SADC.
The Forum seeks to promote best practices in the role of parliaments in regional cooperation and integration.
It also provides a platform for parliaments and MPs to promote and improve regional integration in the SADC region.
SADC PF is a regional inter-parliamentary body comprising 14 parliaments and is headquartered in Windhoek, Namibia.
Presidency of the Forum is currently held by DRC’s Christophe Mboso, who will hold the post for the next two years.
