PHILIPSBURG–The record of how Members of Parliament (MPs) voted on laws, motions and other initiatives in the legislature will be reflected in a new and different table in the 2016-2017 Parliamentary Year report.
This new table has come about due to the intervention of first-term MP Ardwell Irion (National Alliance) who sees its recommendation as “a small, but significant step” in transparency on the voting record of MPs. His initiative has been sent to the Secretariat of Parliament for execution.
The voting record will outline the record of each MP. This will be a change from the year report only recording the attendance of MPs at meetings. Further, the subjects – titles of laws, motions and advices – will be written in both Dutch and English for easier understanding.
The idea, the MP said, is that through summarizing the meetings and putting them on the website, it becomes easier for the general public to keep track of what is going on in the legislature.
Commenting on the basis for his idea, Irion stated in a press statement he wanted to see an extensive record of how he and his colleagues have voted in Parliament.
“The people deserve to see how they’re being represented. I think it is imperative for them to know if MPs are making decisions in their interest,” he said.
This change in the voting record “will help the electorate to hold parliamentarians more accountable and promotes transparency,” Irion said.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/68285-irion-put-forward-initiative-to-improve-voting-record
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