Post a comment 
Western Area Member of Parliament, Hon. Abdul Sulaiman Murray-Conteh, has said that the constitutional responsibility of Members of Parliament is to make laws, represent the people and oversee government, stressing that MPs are not mandated to personally finance development projects in their constituencies.
Speaking during the ongoing parliamentary debate on the Constitutional Amendment Bill, Murray-Conteh argued that widespread public misconceptions about the role of lawmakers have placed many MPs under significant financial pressure.
He noted that some legislators resort to taking loans to meet constituents’ expectations for development projects, a practice he said often leaves them in financial hardship.
“Some MPs take loans to fund development projects, and we end up dying poor. An MP’s job is not to bring development to his people,” he stated.
Murray-Conteh maintained that both the first-past-the-post and proportional representation electoral systems assign the same constitutional responsibilities to Members of Parliament, which include lawmaking, representation and oversight of government.
He emphasized that the constitutional mandate of MPs does not extend to implementing development projects, urging the public to distinguish between the responsibilities of elected legislators and those of the Executive.
The Western Area lawmaker further called for intensified civic education to help citizens better understand the constitutional role of Members of Parliament and the shared responsibility lawmakers have in representing the interests of their constituents.
His remarks formed part of the ongoing parliamentary deliberations on the Constitutional Amendment Bill, where lawmakers continue to debate key governance and constitutional issues.
