HIBAPRESS – Yassine Damiri
During the last session of the House of Representatives, it was observed that a number of parliamentarians used their mobile phones inside the hall designated for public sessions. This scene has reignited the debate about the extent to which members of the legislative institution adhere to the provisions of the internal regulations, especially since it concerns a space that is supposed to serve as a model for respecting the rules governing public life.
This behavior was particularly noticeable among some new faces, especially the young ones who joined the legislative institution for the first time. Among them were young female deputies whose frequent use of their phones drew the attention of everyone present at the session.
This behavior is particularly significant given that Article 392 of the internal regulations of the House of Representatives obliges female and male deputies to refrain from using their phones during public sessions. These provisions are not minor organizational details but aim to ensure the smooth conduct of legislative work, maintain discipline within the hall, and enable the nation's representatives to follow the discussions and deliberations in which they participate in their legislative and oversight capacity.
These recurring scenes raise a question about the extent to which some new parliamentarians are familiar with the rules that govern the work of the institution they were elected to represent citizens within. Entering Parliament is not limited to obtaining a parliamentary seat or appearing in official sessions; it requires prior knowledge of the competencies, procedures, and obligations imposed by the internal regulations, as it is the framework that organizes relations among council members and defines the conditions for performing their duties.
The matter also brings to the forefront the debate about the nature of some candidacies that emerged from electoral events and the extent to which political experience and the ability to perform legislative work are considered in the criteria for selecting candidates. While the renewal of political elites is a legitimate demand, injecting new blood into Parliament should be accompanied by political and institutional training that allows new faces to grasp the nature of the responsibility placed upon them, instead of their beginnings becoming an opportunity to discover the basics of parliamentary work before the camera lenses.
The debate becomes more sensitive when it concerns figures whose rise in the political scene is linked to family ties, marriages, or local influence networks. These considerations are subject to controversy in public discourse about the renewal of elites. However, judging the experience of each deputy requires distinguishing between the circumstances of their nomination and their actual performance within the institution. Proximity alone is not sufficient to judge competence, nor does the absence of prior experience absolve any member of the duty to be aware of and respect the rules governing Parliament's work.
On the other hand, in some cases, using a phone may be merely an oversight or a transient behavior that does not necessarily reflect a stance against the internal regulations or a disregard for its provisions. However, the recurrence of these scenes in public sessions may open the door to questioning the seriousness of dealing with regulatory rules and the need to enhance training and guidance for new deputies so they are aware of the controls governing their presence and participation in the council's work.
The paradox is that members of the House of Representatives participate in enacting laws and overseeing their enforcement, making their adherence to the rules governing their work part of the credibility of the legislative institution itself. Between the possibility of oversight, weak training, or limited political experience, respecting the internal regulations remains an individual and collective responsibility. The renewal of elites also depends on the ability of new entrants to transition from mere membership in Parliament to the effective and responsible exercise of legislative and oversight competencies, thereby strengthening citizens' trust in their representatives.
