By Philip Buda Ladu
Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) has passed two important pieces of legislation- the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing (CTRH) Bill 2023 and the Compensation and Reparation Authority (CRA) Bill 2023, to their third reading stage.
The two laws are part of the Transitional Justice Bills to be enacted into laws as stipulated in Chapter 5 of the revitalized peace agreement.
In December 2023, the Minister of Justice, Hon. Ruben Madol Arol, presented the CTRH and CRA bills in their first reading stages to the parliament during its second session, sitting No. 11/2023.
In accordance with provisions of Regulation 108(1) of the TNLA conduct of Business Regulation 2011 (amended 2021), the house speaker, Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, referred the two bills to the select committees for scrutiny and reported back to the house.
The standing specialized committees for Peace and Reconciliation, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Affairs and the Committee for Legislation and Justice scrutinized the bills and presented their joint report to the house during the Wednesday sitting.
Bona Deng Lawrence is the chairperson of the Committee for Peace and Reconciliation. He presented their report with observations, amendments, and clerical corrections in the second reading stage yesterday.
Bona stated that the purpose of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing Bill, 2023, is to establish the commission to spearhead efforts to address the legacy of conflicts, and promote peace, national reconciliation, and healing.
The CTRH bill has a preamble and consists of seven (7) chapters and forty-five (45) sections.
Chapter one contains preliminary provisions; Chapter two deals with the establishment, mandate, powers, and functions of the commission; and Chapter three entails the governance and composition of the commission.
Meanwhile, chapter four entails the secretariat of the commission; chapter five deals with financial provisions; chapter six contains general principles; and finally, chapter seven has miscellaneous provisions.
Bona also explained that the Compensation and Reparation Authority (CRA) Bill 2023 is one of the transitional justice bills intended to provide for the establishment of a compensation and reparation authority to govern matters and processes of compensation and reparation.
He added that CRA would also be responsible for identifying aggrieved persons eligible for reparation and further establishing the Compensation and Reparation Fund.
The CRA bill consists of five chapters and twenty-five (25) sections.
Chapter one is about preliminary provisions; two deal with the establishment, powers, functions, and compositions of the authority; three tackle the governance structure of the authority; four cover the secretariat; and finally, five comprises the finance report and audit, and then miscellaneous provisions.
According to the report, the committees have amended, deleted, substituted, and inserted new sections, sub-sections, paragraphs, sub-paragraphs, expressions, or words into the bill.
Clerical mistakes were also corrected without appearing in the record.
Prior to the second reading stage, the committees conducted three workshops that included public consultations (hearing) with civil society organizations (CSOs) and faith-based groups to collect their views and incorporate them into the bill. This was made in accordance with House Regulation 109 (2).
Chairperson Bona, after his presentations, requested that the august house deliberate on the general principles of these bills concurrently in their second reading stage and pass them to the third reading stage with all the observations and recommendations.
Over 20 honourable members made their submissions with at least 10 commenting on one of the two bills, stressing their importance and sense of urgency to heal the country from the 2013-2016 wars and political crises.
The lawmakers emphasized that these bills when enacted which should have been done since the first year of the revitalized agreement implementation will set the groundwork for the establishment of compensation and healing institutions to take the country forward.
After thorough deliberations, motions were moved for the termination of the debates on the two bills, and the House unanimously passed the legislation into its third reading stage with all the observations, recommendations, and amendments with the speaker ruling.