Masitara calls for more support for the Ombudsman

GREG KELEBONYE
Staff Writer | Wednesday November 30, 2011 00:00

Masitara said this in the welcome to heads of Ombudsman institutions from the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association SADC region to their meeting in Gaborone.

'Worthy of emphasis is the fact that for Ombudsman institutions to thrive and be effective they need to be supported with adequate financial and human resources, and an environment conducive for them to act independently in their operations,' he said. He added that the government was doing its best to create such a supportive environment within the confines of resources available to it.

However, he said circumstances permitting, government should do more. Masitara said that government recognised the important role the Ombudsman institution played in promoting good administration and protecting human rights.

'It is such an important democratic institution that countries without it are frowned upon by the democratic community of nations, as wanting in transparency, accountability and respect for human rights,' he said.

The Ombudsman institutions, he said are a critical partner in the fight against 'maladies of maladministration and corruption [which] have been identified as prominent in retarding development' in Africa.

The Ombudsman he said, not only entrenched the public's right to good administration, but also held public administration accountable to the public it serves for the decisions made by public officers; bridges the gap between government and the citizen; and provides remedies to aggrieved members of the public.

'Your efforts at this conference and in the daily discharge of your functions, will no doubt go a long way in reversing the situation,' he said.

Meanwhile, when officially opening the regional meeting in the morning Presidential Affairs Minister Tshelang Masisi said that the Ombudsman institution should go beyond merely fighting maladministration to being an agent of change.

'...the role of the Ombudsman is not just about providing independent oversight and being an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to the courts, but also doubles as agent for change,' he said.

Masisi said that citizens had a right to demand proper administration by government, and that the Ombudsman should ensure that this happens.

'We are now in era where public scrutiny and pressure is mounting on governments as citizens demand better governance and are of course entitled to expect proper judicial administration of the public sector.

Masisi said Africa's image of governance was battered and that the Ombudsman institution, AOMA had a unique challenge and opportunity to help rebuild it  'It is now more than ever, that the Ombudsman institution has become absolutely essential on the path to strengthening democracy, good governance and the protection of human rights,' he said.

In order for that to happen it was necessary that people embraced AOMA's primary objective of striving to support and protect the independence and development of Ombudsman Institutions, he said.