22 Aug 2017

Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Gladys Kokorwe says managing litter needs urgent attention.

Speaking at a litter picking and health and wellness session hosted by “the Batenegi at Parliament” on Saturday, Ms Kokorwe said there were policies in place on littering, but that they were not being implemented. She also added that they had proven difficult to enforce, as society had not supported law enforcement agencies.

“When we remove litter from within our yards, we normally just toss it outside for the authorities to deal with, we should assist them to manage it,” she said.

Ms Kokorwe said instead of throwing away litter indiscriminately on roads and public places, people should re-examine their strategies, individually and collectively on how litter could be addressed.

She commended team “Batenegi at Parliament” for their efforts in arranging health and wellness days to allow people to come and test for various ailments.

“A number of us learn that we suffer from such ailments when it is too late resulting in deaths that could have been avoided, I encourage you to test regularly even outside of this gathering,” she added.

She advised participants to encourage their friends and relatives to do the same.

For his part, DUMA FM presenter of Batenegi at Parliament, Mr Oageng Batenegi said Batenegi at Parliament was a social movement that aims to inform and educate the youth and the public on issues of Parliament, good governance and participatory democracy.

He noted that social networks have at times become outlets for ill-informed social opinions and misguided facts.

Mr Batenegi also said even after 50 years of independence, there were still people who lacked appreciation of Parliament, and the role the institution played in a democratic set up.

He commended the Speaker of Parliament for her efforts in taking Parliament to the people, saying the act enlightened many on the procedures of Parliament.

“I must add, we appreciate the efforts by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Kokorwe of taking Parliament to the people whenever her schedule allows.

However, I have always reiterated that live broadcast of Parliament is one of the ultimate solutions to voter education and participatory democracy,” he said.

He said it was disturbing to see many people reluctant to partake in a democratic process such as general elections, saying those that participate in elections do not do enough to hold their leaders accountable.

He further said there was need to preach political tolerance in order to take the country to greater heights.

The radio host added that a healthy lifestyle begins with a healthy home.

“Living in a clean environment is so important to your physical health as well as your overall sense of well-being,’’ he said.

He encouraged people to test for various ailments and to take advice from health practitioners to ensure they live a healthy life. BOPA