Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Aziz Duwaik has stressed the importance of the PLC as “a lawmaking and supervisory authority that should have been activated as a first step of the Palestinian reconciliation” adding that “no democracy without a legislative body.”
Duwaik made his remarks in a recent interview conducted with him by the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
“The importance of the legislature in any political system comes from that fact that it is seen as one of three important powers which are the legislative executive and judicial authorities and the legislature dominates the legislative reality and the laws that govern the political system…It is so to speak the soft power that rules through the laws and legislation it has created” Duwaik stated.
“In any system that allows the people to have the final word especially with regard to issues of their society the legislature is found the most important authority ever and any action overriding it will torpedo the democratic structure” he added.
Answering a question about the difference between the National Council and the PLC the speaker affirmed that the National Council was the production of the Palestinian revolution which had ended a long time ago rendering the council powerless and incapacitated.
“In fact the National Council has become out-of-date having no meetings elections and control of membership and after the Palestinian Authority and the Legislative Council were both established this council became part of history.”
“They started to talk anew about the National Council and reactivating it after Hamas won the 2006 election and secured a majority so they were pushing for bringing the council to life and managed to keep the Legislative Council away from the Palestinian political life” Duwaik elaborated.
Asking him about his opinion on the reconciliation agreement signed recently between Hamas and Fatah in Cairo he underlined that the agreement was a national entitlement and not an achievement expressing hope that the reconciliation could lead to a real improvement in the people’s living conditions.
He also expressed his dismay at not allowing the PLC to convene and give its blessing to the national reconciliation as a first and immediate step following the signing of the Cairo agreement.
