The Parliament of Guinea held its 10th legislative session's solemn opening on October 5, 2026, in Conakry. The event was attended by representatives from various African parliaments, including those from the ECOWAS, Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Togo, and Liberia. El Malick Ndiaye, representing the President of the National Assembly of Senegal, delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of effective law implementation.
Ndiaye stressed that the primary purpose of a legislature is to produce laws that have a tangible impact on citizens' lives. He referenced a phrase from the President's election speech, "Laws for laws, no," highlighting the need for laws to be more than just written documents. The Senegalese politician noted that while parliaments can easily produce laws, the real challenge lies in ensuring their implementation.
According to Ndiaye, citizens expect laws to have a direct impact on their daily lives, including access to education, healthcare, markets, and employment. He emphasized that the effectiveness of laws is not just a formula, but rather the distance between the law and the person it is intended to benefit. Ndiaye acknowledged that this distance remains too long in many cases.
The vice-president of the Senegalese Parliament highlighted the differing perceptions of parliament's role between government ministers and deputies. He noted that ministers may view questions as coming from a different perspective, while deputies may find that responses address different issues. Ndiaye emphasized that a genuine democracy requires more than just sincere intentions; it demands concrete results.
Ndiaye advocated for a shift from political control to performance control in parliament. He suggested that this can be achieved by following up on questions with concrete data and results, rather than just theoretical discussions. This approach would enable parliament to assess the actual impact of laws and policies on citizens' lives.
El Malick Ndiaye also called for more concrete and result-oriented parliamentary cooperation. He proposed that parliaments share experiences, compare methods, and verify the effectiveness of policies. This cooperation, he argued, would help bridge the gap between law-making and law implementation.
The speech by El Malick Ndiaye resonated with the theme of the 10th legislative session, "Building Guinea 2040: The 10th Legislature at the Heart of African Sovereignty, Prosperity, and Integrity." His emphasis on effective law implementation and performance control reflected a broader desire for parliaments to have a more tangible impact on citizens' lives.
Key points
- El Malick Ndiaye emphasizes the need for laws to have a direct impact on citizens' lives.
- The vice-president of the Senegalese Parliament advocates for a shift from political control to performance control.
- Ndiaye calls for more concrete and result-oriented parliamentary cooperation.
