United People’s (UP) party leader Omar Ottley made a valid point in the Friday/Saturday edition of this newspaper. He said that meaningful change can be achieved even in opposition through purposeful and solution-oriented work in Parliament.
The elected representative mentioned having proposed three amendments last year, in addition to several motions. This will be music to the ears of those who believe legislators should propose a greater number of bills rather then leave such up to government.
And while adopted motions are merely expressions of desire by a majority, they too can certainly help guide the Council of Ministers in setting policy and taking decisions. The fact that some come from other parties than those of the ruling coalition should in principle not play a role.
Granted, the executive branch has the necessary knowledge, including for drafting legislation, within its administration. Nevertheless, parliamentarians could do more in that sense as well.
After all, every faction has assistants. Instead of appointing mainly political supporters and sympathisers, expertise particularly in legal affairs ought to be given priority.
That would assist lawmakers to actually make laws in 2026 and beyond.
