The
Ministry of Justice says it will no longer present the proposed law that seeks
to introduce the offence of Parental Insults in the criminal offences bill.
“This
withdrawal decision is as a result of concerns expressed from several quarters
regarding the objectives and the possible effects of the said provision,” the
ministry says in a missive.
The
proposed bill which was first reported by Kerr Fatou was greeted with barrels
of criticism from the public, condemning it as unfit in a democratic country.
“The
introduction of the said proposed law was simply intended to stem the rise of
unwarranted abuse and/or intimidation of public officers who serve the public
everyday and these include civil servants, police officers, judicial officers,
National Assembly members etc, the release stated.
“Contrary
to some claims, the proposed law was neither intended to stifle freedom of
expression nor to shield public officers from public scrutiny. Far from it.
The
Ministry has therefore considered that this single legal provision on parental
insults, which is only one among over four hundred other provisions in the
revised Criminal Offences Bill that we will be seeking to enact before the
National Assembly, threatens to overshadow all the hard work invested in this
process, and the more fundamental and far reaching reforms of our governance
architecture in general and the criminal justice landscape of our country in
particular.”
“These
include enacting an anti-corruption commission bill, an access to information
bill, a media services bill, a women’s anti- discrimination bill and above all,
a new draft constitution to usher in renewed hope going into a 3rd republic.
These are exciting times in our country and the sense of optimism imbued by
these progressive constitutional and legislative reforms must not be allowed to
be overshadowed by our disagreements over one single legal provision.”
“The
Ministry further reassures the public that it is firmly committed to its
governance reform agenda and that it will always take on-board the concerns of
citizens as it shapes this agenda in the best interest of all in our country.”
