A study conducted by the Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) about the duties performed by Members of the National Parliament in 2014 show than more resolutions than laws were passed over a period of 12 months.
JSMP Executive Director Luis Oliveira Sampaio said the priority of the National Parliament is produce new legislation every year but that in 2014 it produced mostly low-quality and counterproductive resolutions, some that contradicted democratic principles.
“We have not seen any laws approved in the National Parliament,” said the Director.
The National Parliament in 2014 was supposed to re-draft legislation on anti-corruption, a victim’s reparation scheme and land and property legislation.
“This is the type of legislation that directly impacts on community life,” Sampaio said.
He added MP’s too often spend much of their time monitoring physical projects such as clean water projects, electricity and other infrastructure projects.
In response to JSMP’s concern, MP Arao Noe from Commission A (constitutional issues, justice, public administration, local power and anti-corruption) considers the organisation’s observations not convincing because some legislation was produced in 2014.
MP Noe added the national parliament in 2014 approved the Social Communication Law, the Law on a Special Economic Zone Market, and made amendments to the Law on Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, including other laws.
“Therefore what that NGO is saying is wrong,” said also MP Noe.
The MP said also that making resolution is also one of the main duties of the parliament as per article 92 of RDTL’s Constitution which allows the parliament to pass resolutions that defend the interests of the State.
