Parliamentary Liaison Programme - PLP

INTRODUCTION

The Parliamentary Liaison Programme (PLP) is one of three programmes under the Governance Unit (also know as Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of Catholic Centre for Justice, Development and Peace. The other two are Formation for Justice and Peace and the Economic Justice Programme.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

The PLP was set up in 2001 on the premise that of the three arms of Government, Parliament is the one that is constituted by elected representatives of the people. Members of Parliament, therefore, must represent the will of the general electorate. However, it was seen in Zambia, that any process of accountability to the electorate depended almost entirely on the good will of the Member of Parliament and MPs have tended to show more allegiance to their political parties than to the electorate.

Many of the issues impacting negatively at the community level, which the Church and civil society in general are trying to address, derive from unfavourable public policies and legislation. It was found prudent, therefore that that the Church and civil society have some input at the policy formulation level rather than wait until policies have been formulated and are already impacting negatively on the people.

PLP AIM

To enhance the democratic right of citizens and civil society in general to have an input in the parliamentary policy-making and legislative process.

PLP SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

§         To provide a forum through which civil society and the general public can make an input and contribute to the parliamentary policy making and legislative process

• To keep the public informed on parliamentary issues

• To inform the public on pending and new policies and their implications

• To mobilise civil society stakeholders in lobbying parliamentarians on legislation and policy of public interest

• To create a new avenue between civil society and Parliament

• To keep the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and possibly other churches informed on legislation of public interest

ACTIVITIES

·         Election programme in the form of “Meet Your Candidates” forums during the run up to the 2001 Elections and for subsequent by-elections. 

·         In 2002, the programme established itself in the dioceses through the setting up of focal groups in order to enable the PLP carry out activities in the constituencies represented in each diocese through the focal groups. 

·         Research into the “Extent of Consultation between MPs and their constituents as seen through the 2002 Election of the Speaker of the National Assembly”. 

·         The holding of various public forums according the general public an opportunity to hear the views of certain leaders and also to air their views on various political and parliamentary issues. Some of the topics at these forums have included: the performance of the House in the first session of 2002, the appointment of opposition Members of Parliament to Cabinet positions, the implications of the 2003 National Budget Overrun etc. 

·         The Parliamentary Liaison Programme also holds what are termed as “community forums”, held away from the provincial capitals, where the medium of instruction is the language local to that area and the topics of discussion are decided upon by the community. These forums give the people a chance to interact with their Members of Parliament. 

·      Constitution Awareness workshops around the country have also been conducted in order to prepare citizens to submit to the Constitution Review Commission.  

·     Accorded observer status by the National Assembly on the Reforms and Modernisation Committee.

FUTURE PLANS 

·         Monitoring the on-going Parliamentary Reforms.

·         Research into the efficacy of the Constituency Offices

·         Policy analysis and advocacy workshops for the PLP focal groups

·         On –going Community forums, Round Table Discussions and Public Forums

·         Radio Programmes on various political and parliamentary issues

·         Attendance of Parliamentary Sessions.