Why MPs must adapt to the dot com era

Once again, Parliament finds itself on the wrong side. Luckily, the wrong step has nothing to do with greed of some members and recklessness of others. This week, lawmakers effectively blocked the planned tabling the Budget Framework Paper (BFP), a blueprint for the planned government spending for the Financial Year 2012/2013.

The reason Parliament blocked this BFP still puzzles me. There is no serious justification for members to rebuke Junior Finance Minister Aston Kajara who simply proposed that the bulky document be sent to them electronically as a cost cutting measure.

At a cost of about Shs100,000 per booklet, if all MPs knew the power of emails, for 375 copies, taxpayers would have saved more than Shs37.5 million. But because our legislators have refused to adapt to the needs of new communication technology, Ugandans are going to lose this money. This is a clear case of wasteful expenditure. In cutting sumptuous spending - the hemorrhage of public resources in the system - lawmakers need to lead by example.

Shs1 billion for photocopying?
By the way, official records indicate that Parliament spends more than Shs1 billion on printing and photocopying documents annually. But if MPs were serious, the new technology would automatically cut this figure by at least half.

The challenge, some members are not IT-savvy and these are the people who are demanding that Ministry of Finance submits hard copies of BFP which they don’t even read. Let us be honest here. The truth is that not all MPs have time to read these bulky documents.

The MPs have just amended the rules of procedure to cater for the use of iPads, laptops and other electronic devices in the chamber where some files can be shared in soft form. This idea was not for window-dressing, it was intended to cut on wasteful expenditures. I know many of our legislators lack computer skills yet others carry computer tablets - iPads but don’t know how to use them. There are even those who have Parliament email addresses but don’t know how to log in and read or send messages.

Orientation needed
May be next time there is orientation, members should be taken through the step-by-step use of a computer or any such gadgets. Those who are fully disinterested could hire computer-literate assistants to do the work for them.

There are those who argue that it is a fallacy to reduce wasteful expenditure by introducing electronic devices. The excessive burden on taxpayers’ shoulders is not from the weight of the bulky reports, but the flawed financial system itself. While I agree with this observation, it is also true that if our MPs began reading their emails, buying iPads, laptops and other electronic devices, the new technology would reform our potholed representative democracy.

Modern Parliaments no longer use papers in the House. Even pupils in some developing countries, no longer carry heavy school bags, instead they use iPads in the classrooms, as necessities such as books and papers have been replaced by these high-tech gadgets.

There are people who expressed doubt in the efficacy of the reform and some worried that iPads may have side effects on the members. That some members who lack self-discipline may waste time in playing games. This is far-fetched and in this dot com era, whether some of our representatives have a peasantry background or not, the truth is that we cannot be bogged down by cynicism. We must all adapt or we risk losing relevance in a fast-moving environment.

While the ICT helps in reducing wasteful expenditures, it is also asolution for improving democracy, legislative processes and citizens’ participation. This is because ICTs have changed the way information is gathered, stored, processed and disseminated.

The ICTs promote participation and openness, thereby saving as a pushing force for democratic change. The challenge is ensure that our MPs pick up the pieces before its too late. After all, reading reports online is not tasking as we think.

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