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6Strategy of Uzbekistan №03 (2020) / ISSN 2181-2535 Journal home page: https://journal.strategy.uz
STEPS OF THE REFORM
THE PURPOSE OF PARLIAMENTARY REFORMS IS TO ENSURE BALANCE BETWEEN THE STATE AND SOCIETY
Shukhrat DEKHQONOV,
Editor-in-chief of «Uzbekistan Strategy» magazine,
politologist
In today>s situation of rapid globalization, in most countries of the world, the parliament has become a leading institution that provides a balance between the state and society. Parliament, as an integral part of democracy, plays an important role not only in lawmaking and implementation of the rule of law, but also in the implementation of the principles of representative authority.
In Uzbekistan in the recent times the role and place of the supreme legislative body has also increased significantly, Both the Legislative Chamber and the Senate are undergoing structural changes and updates,
In particular, the implementation of Action Strategy for the five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021 and its annual state programs aimed at improving the state and society, deepening democratic
reforms and strengthening the role of parliament in modernizing the country pays off,
It should be noted that the practice of the President of Uzbekistan to send Addresses to the Oliy Majlis started since 2017 - attests to the fact that formation of a new democratic institution, the introduction of new political technologies further strengthened the role of parliament in the life of the country and the people. So far, the three Addresses sent by the
President to the Oliy Majlis have become the basis for a radical modernization of not only the parliament, but also the entire local Councils and the corps of deputies,
In his latest Address to the Parliament on January 24, 2020, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that «the ultimate goal of the new Parliament and the Government for the next 5 years should be to improve the lives of our multinational people living in Uzbekistan.»
The Address, in turn, clearly defines the important and priority tasks facing the parliament. In particular, it was noted that it is necessary to develop a clear program and «Road Map» to address pressing issues raised by the population, their full implementation by the relevant agencies, to establish strict parliamentary and deputy control over the implementation of work in this area. In this sense, each senator is attached to a specific region of the country, and a system of close work of the standing committees of the Senate with committees under the local Councils and the deputies working in them has been established.
As a result, the work of local Councils of People>s Deputies on socioeconomic development of the regions, control over
the activities of executive bodies and the solution of emerging problems has been revived. A «room of deputies» and a «room of senators» have been set up under local councils, and the necessary conditions have been created for the reception of voters.
In turn, the Parliament intensified its efforts to ensure the implementation of the tasks of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. At the initiative of the President, a Parliamentary Commission was established to monitor the implementation of the National Goals and Objectives in the field of sustainable development until 2030.
One of the main tasks of this new structure is to increase the efficiency of the executive branch in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,
implementation of these goals in each region. At present, on the initiative of deputies and senators, the implementation of documents adopted for each purpose in the regions is constantly being studied, and practical measures are being taken to address the problems.
The introduction of regularity of parliamentary and public hearings allows the government to address the issues that have accumulated over the years.
In this regard, further strengthening of the powers of Parliament through statutory provision of the norm, that the Legislative Chamber and the Senate in addition to the members of the government and heads of state bodies, may also hear information from the heads of economic management bodies on
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issues related to their activities was also a good development.
Another innovation in the legislation is of high importance due to the point, that it is aimed at revitalizing the institution of parliamentary scrutiny and introducing the practice of its widespread use. Admittedly, there have been a number of shortcomings in the current procedure for conducting parliamentary investigations. In particular, the chambers of the Oliy Majlis did not have the opportunity to make a separate decision on parliamentary scrutiny. Based on this, now the law stipulates, that a parliamentary inquiry may be conducted by a separate decision of the Legislative Chamber or the Senate or by a joint decision of the chambers of the Oliy Majlis.
At the same time, the empowerment and role of the people>s representatives in controlling the state budget expenditures have been legally strengthened. It should be noted that today large sums of money are allocated for the sustainable socioeconomic development of all regions of Uzbekistan. However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that these funds, aimed
at the welfare of the people, are not used for their intended purpose, they are plundered, misappropriated, and there are cases of corruption. According to the new norms introduced in the legislation, henceforth, there will be felt the role and place of local deputies in the control of state budget expenditures, which will strengthen the protection of the interests of the people in identifying and solving systemic problems on the ground.
The introduction of new norms in the legislation on the procedure for responding to parliamentary inquiries in order to further increase the effectiveness of parliamentary oversight, in turn, will undoubtedly increase the effectiveness of parliamentary, deputy and senator inquiries and address the problems of the people. However, previous studies have shown that in most cases, inquiries sent to officials by deputies of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of the Oliy Majlis are answered not by officials themselves, but by officials at various levels. It is adopted now the mandatory norm for the reply letter to be signed by the official to whom the request was sent or by the person in charge of his or her duties.
Another important innovation is that the institution of «parliamentary diplomacy» has been legally strengthened. In other words, the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis has been assigned the task of organizing parliamentary diplomacy and monitoring the implementation of international agreements by the government. Thus, Uzbekistan pays special attention to strengthening the role of parliament as a people>s platform in the implementation of the country>s foreign policy and expanding its rights and opportunities to create a favorable external environment for the effective implementation of structural reforms at a new stage.
At the same time, the legislation establishes the authority to conduct parliamentary investigations into certain facts, events and processes that threaten the interests of the state and society, which may interfere with the foundations of national security and its sustainable development.
Of course, lawmaking has a special role in ensuring the balance between the state and society and the rule of law. Therefore, in the development of any bill,
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it is necessary to take into account the priorities of the ongoing reforms in the country, the tasks and objectives set for the development and prosperity of the country. At the same time, it is expedient to first submit the draft laws for public discussion, conduct an expert examinations by civil society institutions, academia and experts, and widely cover them in the media.
In this sense, it is of course gratifying that practical efforts have been made today in performing the parliamentary inventory of existing legislation, reducing the weight of bylaws, the adoption of directly applicable laws, repealing legislation that does not meet the requirements of the
time, narrowing the legal framework, in short, liberalizing all spheres of life, passing the laws that serve human rights.
In conclusion, there are being gradually implemented the tasks, aimed at strengthening the role of the Oliy Majlis in deepening the democratic reforms and modernizing the country, increasing the role of parliament in the system of state power, addressing its important tasks in domestic and foreign policy, mentioned in the five priority areas of further development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 20172021, as well as further expanding the powers to exercise parliamentary control over the executive branch, strengthening the quality of lawmaking
activity, strengthening the impact of adopted laws on the process of socio-economic, political and judicial reforms in the country.
This, in turn, contributes to the effectiveness of systemic reforms to strengthen the foundations of a democratic state and the formation of a strong civil society in the new Uzbekistan, and ultimately to the implementation of the principle that «not people should serve government agencies, but government agencies should serve people».
NOT PEOPLE SHOULD m SERVE GOVERNMENT ¿^AGENCIES, BUT | GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SHOULD SERVE PEOPLE
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