.. Tambuwal raises alarm over 2015 - Sun Newspaper - June 26, 2013 - Speaker: Politicians now spread hate, strife By Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday raised the alarm over what he called a dangerous trend ahead of the 2015 general elections, alleging that some politicians are introducing doctrines that are alien to democracy and destructive to peaceful, social co-existence in a civilised society. Addressing members of the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly at the resumption of plenary after their two-week annual break, Tambuwal accused some politicians of being busy fanning embers of partisan hate and strife. Giving details of the political trend that is fast taking root, Tambuwal said: “It is a political offence for a member of one political party to exchange greetings with someone in another political party. It is indeed a heinous crime for one to visit, attend the burial, birthday, coronation, wedding or any such ceremony of someone in an opposing political party.” He said; “proponents of this shameful doctrine not only offend our sensibilities, they constitute an affront to the whole essence of democracy and civilized co-existence and must be halted before they do incalculable damage to our polity. My dear colleagues, we refuse to be students of this school of thought.”According to Tambuwal, the dangerous trend was aiding a dichotomy between politics and governance. He said that there should be a “difference between a candidate in electoral contest on the platform of a political party and an elected official, who has assumed a non-partisan responsibility and taken oath to protect and preserve the Constitution, to serve the people and the nation”. The Speaker lamented, “again, while we are clamouring for the deepening of democracy including internal party democracy, there has arisen a new group championing the obnoxious cause of the deepening of internal party autocracy and demagoguery. “This is inexcusable and indeed, reprehensible at this time of our history. Dissent is a healthy element in any democratic setting and those who equate loyalty to sycophantic followership not only miss the point, but put democracy at risk.” Advising the lawmakers to show more commitment to good governance through oversight of projects, Tambuwal said the masses were looking up to the National Assembly to speak for them, noting that “the quagmire of a highly depleted and fast dwindling public image, confidence and goodwill, the process of redemption called for unmitigated self-sacrifice and absolute commitment to the pursuit of the public good. “In togetherness, we willingly chose modesty and self-discipline as a deliberate operating strategy. God who deciphers the inner conviction of man, prospered our cause and thus, while we may not yet have attained the object of total image redemption, in togetherness, we are told we have, at least, arrested the drift. “These experiences have shown that there is power in togetherness; that there is accomplishment in togetherness and above all, that there is victory in togetherness. Surely, the challenges ahead are more formidable than those gone-bye, but I am confident that together, we can achieve and deliver on our mandate.” He urged the lawmakers to work toward ensuring that bills that are critical to the development of the country are passed on time. The Speaker said, “my dear Honourable colleagues, I refer to the sheer number of critical bills awaiting passage such as the Constitution Amendment Bill, the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, among others. In the area of oversight, you are aware of our resolve to step up activities in order to ensure improved budget performance, probity and good governance generally. “Accordingly, in a matter of days, the House will suspend plenary and embark on oversight of the 2013 budget implementation. I need not remind us of the need to hold tenaciously to the representation duty of promoting and protecting the interests of our constituents and Nigerian people at large. We must respond promptly to their concerns and plight and at all times, insist on accountability, probity and good governance.” He advised, “as we commence the second half of our tenure, we must sustain our focus on the ultimate objectives of dealing decisively with unemployment, poverty and insecurity. As I observed recently, we must not allow insecurity to overwhelm us in our drive towards economic prosperity. The Legislative Agenda we fashioned for ourselves has guided us thus far and we hope to stick to it, subject to whatever modification we might effect in view of the mid-term review and inputs received from members of the public. “It is also appropriate to remind you that beyond the challenges routine to our functions as legislators, an even bigger challenge is fast approaching. I am referring to 2015 and the gathering clouds of politicking: first, we must resist the temptation to beat the gun. We have an electoral umpire whose gun sound we must await. Secondly, we must resist being distracted from the execution of our mandate which is only half done and finally, perhaps more importantly, we must make a difference by rising against every attempt to cause disaffection among Nigerians”, he said.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:07:02 +0000
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