Executive – Legislature face-off is global –David Mark

Posted by admin Legislature, Senate Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Senate President, David Mark, led the Nigerian delegation to the 127th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, which held in Quebec, Canada. In this interview with ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Senator Mark explains why indigeneship should be expunged from the Constitution and why the Executive must implement resolutions emanating from the National Assembly. Excerpts:

What lessons can Nigeria learn from the theme of the 127th IPU Assembly, which borders on ethnicity and diversities?

Well, I think the theme and sub-themes are extremely relevant and they are not just national but also, international because that is the only way we can implement the themes as individual nation-members. I remember our old national anthem, which says that though ‘tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.’ I think that captures the themes of the IPU this year and I think it’s important we take this message back to all the member-countries of the IPU.

This is extremely important for peace in the world, for stability in the world and if there is peace and stability, that is when, I believe, we can talk of economic development in the world. The topics treated at the opening session were very apt, very critical and were also necessary. For the IPU, it is important that we address some of these items that affect global peace security and they are items that will make our work, as parliamentarians, a lot easier and I think it is important that we address all the items that have been raised here. We are not all going to be on the same wave-length during the discussions anyway.

Leader of the Ugandan delegation raised issues of deliberate exclusion of some African countries from this IPU. How would you address that so that it doesn’t occur in future Assemblies?

We were very disturbed about the exclusion of some of our members from the IPU. You see, one of the reasons why Canada won over London was on the understanding that all the IPU member-countries would be issued visas to come but even within Nigeria and from Nigeria, too, we had a lot of delays in obtaining our visas. Syria, for instance was not given visas, Uganda also complained that all their delegates were not issued visas…We had the same problem with Mali and that was why we got a delegate from Nigeria to work with the Malian delegation and we succeeded in getting that item on the agenda. So, I would say really that Canada did not do too well in the issuance of visas to IPU member nations.

Part of the sub-themes addressed indigeneship and gender equality in the parliament. Coincidentally, this is on the National Assembly’s agenda on Constitution amendment. How would this impact on that exercise?

Well, one of the issues we have been discussing in Constitution amendment is this; shift from state of origin to state of residence because it is important. Now, you are resident in a place for 20 years and they still do not take you as being part and parcel of the place. I think it’s a difficult task, but in my very candid opinion, if we have an open mind and we approach it nationalistically; from a nationalistic perspective, rather than from a small, clannish perspective, we will get it right. Let’s forget the business of this state of origin and go to the state of residence. Once you are resident in a place and you perform your civic responsibility, for that period, Idon’t see any reason why you should benefit there as long as you don’t claim dual residency. Some Nigerians, I know, can be very clever. They will come from Ondo State and they are resident in Benue and when the benefits of Benue is not what they think they want, they quickly shift to Ondo State. No, we can’t allow that to happen. Once you say this is your state of residence, I think you should be a part and parcel of that particular state.

While presenting your paper on the theme of this conference, you still reflected on the former Nigerian national anthem, raising the issue of diversity in tongues and tribe. How can Nigeria really turn this diversity into advantage?

I think as we listen to these members discuss their own peculiar experiences and they tell us the solutions that they found to some of these problems, we will gain a lot from the discussions. But it is clear to me from the various papers that have been presented so far that the issue of diversity is not restricted to Nigeria, it is not just a peculiar problem to us in Nigeria, it is across the length and breadth of the world and we all hope to learn from each other.

In your speech, you promised that Nigeria will continue to protect the vulnerable and minority interest. How will this affect the people of Bakassi?

Bakassi is a different story entirely because, for Bakassi, there is a judicial decision and once there is a judicial decision, you must be careful. Revisiting the judicial decision on Bakassi to know whether it will bring any more profit, or whether we should ensure that Nigerians who are in Bakassi have their human rights fully protected, and that they are not maltreated in any way by Cameroonians. That is one of the issues we will sit down and discuss with Cameroonian parliamentarians who are here too.

We realise that some of the issues being raised have been discussed over and over. This time around, how will the IPU ensure certain resolutions are implemented?

As parliamentarians, we talk and they have to allow us to talk and we do hope that by talking, talking and talking, those who are supposed to implement what we say will then react and implement some of the issues that we raise. But there is no stopping us from talking. I think the important point to stress is that parliamentarians should be allowed to express their minds freely and to continue to talk and put pressure on the Executive. Again, you can see from the presentations that parliamentarians are not just too happy with the way the Executive, anywhere in the world, is going about implementing some of the decisions that they take. So, it is not just something that is peculiar to Nigeria, it is all over in any democracy at all.

Is it not frustrating that you just talk and the executive just brushes away what you say?

Well, we won’t get tired; that is the important thing. We must have the patience to continue to talk and for those who have practised democracy for years, I listened to the opening remarks where the Governor-General of Canada did say parliamentarians must be allowed to continue to talk. Even in a democracy like Canada, they still have the same problem we have in Nigeria, Nigeria being a young democracy which just started again in 1999 when it continued democratic governance.

The National Assembly which you superintend over is, once again, in the process if amending the Constitution. As the leader of the Nigerian Legislature, what experience would you draw from this meeting?

I said it before that one of the areas where we think we can bring ourselves together is to try to emphasise those things that will unite us and de-emphasize any areas we think will divide us and they are quite a few anyway. I have talked about the issue of state of origin versus that of residence. This is a very controversial issue and it is difficult but there is no reason why I have stayed in a place for so long, I should be discriminated against. I should be accepted as part and parcel of that state. I think the issue of indigeneship is where we are going to have problems with. I think we better take it out completely so that we talk about residency instead of being an indigene of a particular place.

In an overview of the 127th IPU, are you convinced that members discussed frankly and openly, without being tele-guided?

I am very satisfied and I was happy with the Speaker of the Ugandan parliament. They have brought us here and you must allow us express our views, that is one. Two, when we have peculiar problems, don’t impose your view on anybody because we are here as sovereign nations, we are here as independent nations. You cannot insists that it is your wish that we should adhere to. I think that was a wrong address by that young minister from Canada(Canadian Foreign Minister, John Baird) who insisted on homo-sexuality being accepted all over the world. Even in Nigeria, you will recall I said we will not accept it and nobody can force us to accept it.

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Posted by admin on Dec 20 2012. Filed under Legislature, Senate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry