The Ombudsman of the Republic of Vanuatu participated at the Parliament Retreat organized by the Parliament Secretariat on Thursday the 21st of January 2021.
The Ombudsman was requested to present on the functions of the Ombudsman and how Parliament Secretariat can assist the Ombudsman in carrying out its functions effectively.
During his presentation, Ombudsman Bulu touched on the importance of Leaders abiding with the Law and the responsibility of the Parliament Secretariat to ensure good leadership is being established within all levels of the Parliament Administration so the Parliament can fully carry out its functions to the fullest.
Ombudsman Bulu also raises his concerns on the conduct of Parliament members when parliament is in session as members of Parliament as Leaders, hold an important position therefore they should in both their private and official live conduct themselves in a professional manner.
Ombudsman Bulu also touched on the functions of the Public Accounts Committee and how it can assist the role of the Ombudsman better. The Office of the Ombudsman has now taken responsibility of receiving annual returns of all persons classified as Leaders therefore it was encouraged during the presentation that the Office of the Clerk of Parliament and the Leadership Code Section of the Ombudsman Office should work collaboratively in collecting all archived annual returns for the process of creating a database system that would capture all the assets and liabilities of persons holding Leadership positions.
Both the Clerk of Parliament Mr Raymond Manuake and the Ombudsman confirmed that there will be further consultation in future between both Institutions on opportunities of improving both their respective functions.
