The functions of the National Assembly include the making of laws, the controlling of the
finances of the State and also a critical role to check the actions of government and the Ministries.
Law-Making
The power to make laws is exercisable by
Bills. All Bills, other than a Private Bill or a Private Member's Bill, must be
presented by a Minister. A Bill may be presented as a private Bill, provided it is not a
Money Bill, that is, a Bill related to taxation, the Consolidated Fund or any other
public fund. Every Bill which is presented must be passed by the National Assembly for
it to become an Act.
A Bill passed by the National Assembly does
not become law until it has been submitted to
and has received the assent of the President of the Republic. The President cannot
withhold assent to a Bill which amends the Constitution and is certified by the Speaker
as having complied with S 47 of the Constitution which lays down that certain amendments
must, at the final voting, be voted by not less than three quarters of all the Members
of the Assembly or of two thirds of all the Members, as the case may be.
Similarly, the President cannot withhold
assent to Bills specified in section 54 of the
Constitution. But the President may withhold assent to any other bill, in which case he
would return it to the Assembly for reconsideration within 21 days, of its being
submitted to him for assent. Upon the bill being reconsidered and passed, with or
without amendment, it is again submitted to the President, who is bound to signify his
assent. When the Bill has been assented to by the President, it must then be published
in the Government Gazette for it to have the force of law.
Inherent in the power to make laws is the
power to amend or repeal it or to suspend its
operation or even to give it retrospective effect and to delegate the law-making powers
to the executive.
Financial Control
The power to make laws includes the power
to raise revenue and authorise expenditure. No revenue can be raised by way of a tax or
the imposition of license fees, customs dues and other charges without the authorisation
of Parliament. Expenditure must equally be authorised by Parliament. Appropriation laws
are accordingly passed to enable withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund. The Annual
Budget Speech usually takes place in early June before the beginning of the financial
year on the 01 July ensuing. The Minister of Finance presents his Budget Speech,
reviewing the country's economic performance in the previous year and announcing
economic proposals for the coming year. There is a debate and eventually a vote is taken
on the Appropriation Bill.
Critical Role
Questions to Ministers are put only on
Tuesday Sittings and the order of business provides for a 3 hour Question Time. This
Question Time allows the Members of Parliament to raise questions with the Ministers on
the ministries which fall under their respective responsibilities. However, questions,
including Private Notice Questions, are not put at the sitting when the Presidential
Address is delivered at the beginning of a session, on the day of the presentation of
the Budget Speech and when an Appropriation Bill is being considered by the Committee of
Supply.
Through questions and motions, Parliament
makes the Government account for its actions. This Question Time starts with the Leader
of the Opposition, who never puts down a question on the Order Paper for oral answer and
is allowed to set down a Private Notice Question. The time allocated to this question is
30 minutes. Next, a special Prime Minister's Question Time of 30 minutes is provided
whereby all the Questions are addressed to the Prime minister. The other Members put
questions and supplementary ones to all the ministers during the rest of the Question
Time on practically every aspect of their administration.
Through parliamentary debates, the public can listen to a spectrum of views and opinions
and find out how decisions affecting them are made.
Representative Role
Members of Parliament represent the people
who had voted for them in the general election. As such, they are responsible to look
into the needs of their constituents and to make their concerns heard in Parliament.
