The Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) requested that part of the discussion at the upcoming session of the Committee on Security and Defense, which will be held on Friday, May 16, and which relates to the procedures for verifying the (non)existence of security obstacles and determining disciplinary responsibility in the security sector, be open to the public in order to strengthen citizens' trust in institutions, and requested that its representative be allowed to attend.
"We believe that the openness of this part of the session would help strengthen citizens' trust in institutions, which should be one of the key goals of the work of the Parliament of Montenegro.
"We also request that MANS representatives be allowed to attend the discussion in that part, so that we, as a civil society organization, can contribute to the exchange of information and the improvement of policies in this area," the text of the initiative submitted by MANS to the committee states.
With this initiative, MANS is not seeking access to data classified as secret, but rather participation in the part of the discussion that relates to the normative basis of security checks, the work of the competent commissions, institutional weaknesses and necessary reforms, the non-governmental organization (NGO) explained.
"We believe that the presence of the civil sector would contribute to a better understanding of the institutional context, increasing public trust and strengthening the Parliament's oversight role over security structures.
"Given our many years of experience and concrete contributions in this area, we consider it justified to open part of the discussion under item 3 of the agenda to the public and allow the presence of MANS representatives. We expect the Board to consider this initiative in a timely manner and inform us of its decision," the text of the initiative concludes.
Bonus video:
