[Kictanet] Fwd: ICT and Parliament in Rwanda

[Florence Etta]

>
> >NEWS EXTRA
> >Kenyan MPs humbled in Rwanda
> >
> >Story by CYRUS KINYUNGU
> >Publication Date: 09/08/2005
> >Kenyan MPs inside Parliament. Their Rwandese colleagues use modern
> >technology to conduct business, making operations, efficient and quick.
> >MPs visiting the Rwandese Parliament recently found themselves taking
> >lessons on how to do things briskly, efficiently and in a modern way ­
> >through the use of technology.
> >Most did not think there was anything Kenya could learn from Rwanda and had
> >gone there to witness the effects of the 1994 genocide in which about
> >800,000 people were massacred. True, they carried back home lessons on the
> >genocide and why Kenya's stability may be its most vital asset.
> >But when they toured Parliament in Kigali, they thought Kenya's own belongs
> >to the Victorian age.
> >Humbling experience
> >Considering Kenya's superior social economic status ­ at least compared to
> >Rwanda which is recovering from the effects of the genocide ­ the
> >experience was humbling.
> >Immediately they were ushered in, the MPs faced an electronic board which
> >showed how votes in the House were recorded.
> >"The voting here is done electronically," said an excited Mbita MP Otieno
> >Kajwang' immediately he saw the board.
> >Unlike in Kenya where MPs have to stand and move to the closest microphone
> >while addressing the House, in Rwanda the microphones are placed next to
> >the seats.
> >Before the Speaker addressed his Kenyan guests, they had to be guided on
> >how to use microphones and other electronic equipment.
> >"For those who speak Kinyarwanda use channel one, those who speak English
> >Channel Two and those who speak French use channel 3," a voice announced
> >just before the start of the session.
> >Excited MPs
> >As the MPs pulled their chairs closer to their tables to put on the
> >headphones, one could not fail to notice their excitement.
> >When the president of the senate was explaining how the two-chamber
> >Parliament was run in Kinyarwanda, interpretation to English and French was
> >going on simultaneously.
> >"The operations in this Parliament are like those in an international
> >conference," explained Mr Gideon Kanyinamura, a Rwandese MP.
> >The operations of the Parliament were explained on a big white screen
> >rolled from the rooftop of the building to the front, where the chamber's
> >president and Kenya's head of delegation, Mr Mirugi Kariuki, were seated.
> >The information was beamed to the large screen from a laptop computer using
> >a small projector behind the MPs. A technician rolled the programme in
> >tandem with the speed of the presenter.
> >But what surprised the MPs most was learning that every Rwanda member of
> >Parliament had a laptop with Internet connection.
> >They were also amazed to learn that minutes of Cabinet meetings are always
> >posted on the Internet.
> >The whole of Parliament is networked such that MPs can access Internet from
> >any corner of the compound without the need of cables.
> >"Every MP in our Parliament has a laptop and has been trained on how to use
> >it. One can access Internet from any corner of Parliament without
> >connection cables," said Dr Nyramirimo Odette, an MP in the chamber of
> >deputies.
> >The wireless network allows those without access to wired ports access to
> >on-line resources using a wireless network standard, which allows
> >communication between a device such as a laptop and a wireless access point
> >connected to the main network.
> >To access the network you must have a wireless network card for your
> >laptop, which must be compatible with the 802.11b or 802.11g wireless
> >standard.
> >An ID user name and password is required and once the wireless device has
> >been booted and a browser opened, the user is prompted on how to proceed.
> >While in Kenya, MPs have to go for divisions when they disagree on some
> >matters, in Rwanda they just touch a button which determines where their
> >vote goes.
> >The division in the Kenyan chamber goes for close to two hours while their
> >counterparts in Rwanda seal their debates in less than five minutes.
> >"During voting, all the lights in the electronic gadgets on the tables go
> >off so that not even your neighbour may know how you are voting," said Dr
> >Odette.
> >"You will only see numbers in either Yes or No increasing without knowing
> >how individuals voted," she added.
> >The Rwandese Parliament has the highest number of women in the world. The
> >chamber of deputies, which has 80 members, has 24 seats reserved for women.
> >In the House, 53 members are elected, two by the National Youth Council and
> >one by the Federation of the Association of the Disabled besides the 24
> >women seats ­ two from each province and Kigali city.
> >In the current Parliament, women comprise 48.7 per cent of the members.
> >Mr Kariuki, the Internal Security assistant minister, said there was a lot
> >to learn from the country's Parliament in terms of technology.
> >He said the MPs' experience in the Rwandese Parliament was a great
> >challenge to them and marvelled at the fact that all MPs in the country had
> >access to a laptop connected to the Internet.
> >"The system of governance and technology in Rwanda makes our Parliament
> >look Victorian and archaic," said Mandera Central MP Billow Kerrow.
> >He said a lot of paper was wasted in printing order materials while in
> >Rwanda one only needed to follow proceedings from their laptops.
> >He said their Parliament was more modern and better run than Kenya's.
> >"In their House, which has 80 members, there must always be a quorum of 60
> >per cent at all times. They take their work more seriously and enjoy more
> >respect and recognition from the public," he added.
> >Justice and Constitutional Affairs assistant minister Njeru Githae said the
> >biggest challenge to Kenyans was Rwanda's technological advancement.
> >"While in Kenya a member has to keep standing to catch the eye of the
> >Speaker, in Rwanda you only have to press a button and he knows you want to
> >speak," he said, adding that the Kenyan Parliament took hours to make
> >decisions due to the voting system, while it only took minutes with the
> >electronic voting in Rwanda.
> >Drinking water
> >"Drinking water is placed at every member's table unlike in Kenya where we
> >have to walk to the dispatch box sometimes disrupting contributions," said
> >Mr Githae, hoping that the planned renovation of Parliament would proceed
> >at a more urgent pace.
> >He denied that he had been against the renovations, saying that he had only
> >been concerned about the cost involved.
> >"Nobody is against the renovation of Parliament. We were just concerned
> >with its cost. The specifications were expensive but the idea was noble,"
> >he said.
> >When the Kenyans visited President Paul Kagame in his Kigali office, they
> >were hosted at the Cabinet room where microphones are fixed next to every
> >chair and translation facilities are readily available.
> >President Kagame explained to the MPs that every Cabinet minister had a
> >laptop and had been trained on how to use it.
> >The President told the MPs that minutes of all Cabinet meetings are
> >available on the Internet and there was little paper work in the room since
> >everything was done electronically.
>
>
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