Delicate balancing act for planned SADC Parliament

A regional Parliament for southern Africa will help foster integration in the region, uphold high election standards, ensure gender equality and promote model laws, argues Gwinyayi A Dzinesa as plans for setting up the legislature gain momentum. Writing in The Conversation, Dzinesa, a senior research fellow, Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg, says a regional Parliament could be a game changer for the members of the SADC. He notes that with the DRC last month signing the agreement to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a Parliament, becoming the 12th SADC member state to accede, a quorum for the bloc to establish the regional Parliament has now been achieved. 'Not having a regional Parliament has impeded the democratic, participatory decision making, policymaking and implementation processes of SADC. Citizens’ interests and needs have arguably been overlooked,' says Dzinesa. He writes that while there are no details yet on the composition, mandate, powers, functions, procedures and budget of a regional Parliament, the institution would add to the regional governance architecture. 'Ideally, an SADC Parliament would be able to carry out key legislative, representational and oversight functions. That would enable it to: ensure speedy ratification of regional protocols by national Parliaments, monitor the implementation of regional protocols, oversee other SADC institutions, and complement efforts to promote regional integration and development. MPs should ideally be directly elected by all adult voters. Citizens would have a direct say in who represented them in the regional Parliament.' Dzinesa says the SADC Parliament could encourage debate on regional issues, including climate change, food security, industrialisation, the fourth industrial revolution and cyber security, and get regional protocols put into action faster. 'And it could improve citizen participation in regional affairs, countering the view of the SADC as a “club of regimes”.' The Parliament could further promote member states’ compliance with SADC principles and guidelines for democratic elections; and boost the representation of women. 'The SADC’s gender and development protocol calls for 50:50 gender parity in national Parliaments by 2030. In 2022, only five (31.3%) states – eSwatini, Mozambique, Namibia, SA and Zimbabwe – had women making up more than 40% of their Parliament.' Dzinesa adds that the regional legislature could also help get the SADC’s 26 protocols made into national laws.

However, he notes in The Conversation that there is bound to be apprehension that the SADC Parliament could be a charade as it would be expected to respect the sovereignty of member states. 'The 41st SADC Summit in 2021 decided to initially establish the Parliament as a “consultative and deliberative body” with no law-making or other binding authority. The Summit of Heads of State is responsible for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the regional body.' Lack of legislative and oversight power will hamstring the Parliament’s ability to scrutinise SADC institutions, says Dzinesa. 'Furthermore, all member states support the principle of non-interference in their internal affairs. So there is tension between national sovereignty and the task of promoting peace, human rights and democracy in member states. The SADC Parliament will have a delicate job: to protect national sovereignty and human rights, in pursuit of regional integration and development.'