Friday, 17 September 2010 (morning session)
Workshop on Parliament, Accountability and the Role of Internet Governance in Strengthening Oversight
This morning I took part in the above “Workshop D” discussion where each participant was given only about 3 minutes to speak. Understandably, not much could be canvassed therefore. Below is an excerpt of my speech.
We are all mindful that Parliaments are responsible for ensuring accountability and openness of their respective governments through oversight of the activities of the Executive and its auxiliary bodies, in order to curb corruption and effect good practices. Parliaments also have the power of purse and mandate to scrutinise the utilization of public finances and ensure financial accountability. It is therefore important that parliaments’ staff are strengthened in their oversight capacity and therefore be able to perform their duties effectively as nonpartisan repositories of information. They can also assist parliamentarians in achieving their constitutional functions.
Accountability means being able to provide an explanation or justification, and accept responsibility, for events and for one’s own actions in relation to those events. Accountability plays a particularly important role in the public sector. It is about giving an answer for the way in which one has spent money, exercised power and control, mediated rights and used discretion vested by law in the public’s interest. It has been well accepted that in our system of government that those of whom such powers and responsibilities are given are required to exercise them in the public’s interest fairly, and according to law.
In the quest for the free flow of information we must also balance it with protection of privacy and data. Users of the internet must be educated of their responsibilities as net citizens to ensure that they know what is the right and wrong thing to do. This is to ensure they will not abuse the technology to defame people, political opponents or business rivals, etc., all in the name of freedom of speech and free flow of information.
With the widespread use of the internet, we also have to be
