THE parliament is looking to revise its Standing Orders to include a law, justice and security standing committee, Speaker of Parliament Sir Peter Kenilorea says.
Sir Peter said such committee could play an oversight role for the application of a National Security policy that could also conduct public inquiries into security sector governance areas that might need reform.
Sir Peter said that parliament already had the revised standing orders which seek to establish the proposed committee.
He added that the standing orders would be tabled in parliament when it meets next month.
“Once the committee endorses the final draft, I expect it to be tabled in the next parliament meeting for debate and vote,”he said.
Sir Peter said if parliament passes the new standing orders, these would come into force when the new parliament is established after the general elections in June.
He highlighted that the closest step towards achieving the concept of national security was established through the Foreign Relations Committee in which a framework was revised to recommend how the government could work together with RAMSI.
In the meantime, Sir Peter urged the government and future governments not to let the initiative of a national security policy collect dust at some dark room corner but must be taken onboard and put into practice.
“The problem with such policy is that we talk about it making it sound very good but at the end of the day it has found its way in a dusty corner in the government chambers for the dust and rats to read.
“Therefore, I encourage future governments to take this seriously,” he said.
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