Aid has weakened parliamentary system, say visiting MPs
Aid has weakened parliamentary system, say visiting MPsBy Florence Bupe
Thursday April 03, 2008 [04:00]
DONOR aid has weakened Zambia's parliamentary system, a delegation of members of parliament has observed. And the delegation has advised Western donors to spend more money on strengthening African parliaments to ensure that they hold governments accountable in the use of aid.
According to a report released by Africa All Party Parliamentary Group, the cross-party Western delegation, which toured four African countries, cited Zambia as one of the countries that were unable to effectively implement its own budgets due to influence from donor countries and agencies such as the World Bank and the Department for International Development (DFID).
Other countries cited in the report were Tanzania and Malawi. The delegation observed that foreign aid may have weakened Africa's democracies by making governments less accountable to their elected national legislatures.
"Only two of Africa's 53 states have enjoyed uninterrupted democracy: Botswana and Mauritius," the delegation noted.
The parliamentarians charged that historically, donors have tended to work over and around parliaments rather than with them.
"Aid strengthens recipient governments, but risks making them more accountable to donors and less accountable to their own people," they said. "African parliaments have the potential to provide a safeguard to ensure that foreign aid is used to relieve poverty and promote economic development."
The group further highlighted the increasing importance of Chinese aid in Africa and warned that China was unlikely to become a major actor in strengthening parliaments.
Africa All Party Parliamentary group was formed in 2003 and it was set up to focus on issues that affect Africa as a continent and in particular issues relating to New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as a policy priority in parliament.
Labels: DFID, DONORS, MPs, PARLIAMENT
posted by MrK @ 6:36 AM
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