COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER, 2011 THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE ROLE OF THE CPA (SESSION NO. 1)

Transcription

1 COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION 22 ND COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY SEMINAR NEW DELHI, INDIA NOVEMBER, 2011 AGENDA: THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE ROLE OF THE CPA (SESSION NO. 1) FRIDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2011, 10:30 HRS. CHAIR - Mr. Craig Baumann, MP, New South Wales, Australia PRESENTER - Dr. William F. Shija, Secretary-General, CPA PARLIAMENT OF INDIA NEW DELHI

2 The Secretary-General, CPA, stated that Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 nations that support each other and work together towards shared goals in democracy and development and promotion of international understanding and world peace. The world s largest and smallest, richest and poorest countries make up the Commonwealth and are home to two billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an association of Commonwealth Parliamentarians who, irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, are united by community of interest, respect for the rule of law and pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy. Elucidating on the role of the CPA in the comity of the Commonwealth nations, he informed that the CPA which was established in 1911, had completed a century of excellence in / and has contributed a lot towards promotion, development and strengthening of parliamentary democracy. At present 185 Parliaments and Legislatures with a total of 17,000 Parliamentarians, are members of the Association. Some more countries are keen to join the CPA. He desired that there should be better linkages between the Commonwealth and the CPA. The Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings in Trinidad & Tobago in 2009 and in Perth in 2011, recognized the role and active contribution of young people in promoting development, peace, democracy and in protecting and

3 promoting values such as tolerance and understanding. To help understand the parliamentary democracy amongst young people, the CPA holds Youth Parliaments. The Secretary-General urged all the Branches and Regions to hold Youth Parliaments to imbibe in them the spirit of parliamentary democracy. Recognizing the role of women, the Commonwealth Day theme selected this year was Women as Agents of Change. The CPA has also been organizing Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conferences since To achieve its mission of strengthening parliamentary democracy and good governance, the CPA carries out an extensive range of programmes and activities. To achieve these objectives, the CPA organizes annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences, Regional Conferences, Parliamentary Seminars and Workshops, Inter-parliamentary visits, Expert and Study Groups, Post Election Seminars, etc. The CPA Secretariat also brings out publications, notably / The Parliamentarian, newsletters on CPA activities and parliamentary and political events First Reading and CPA Update - and good practice booklets. The CPA Secretariat also provides professional development for Members and staff and Technical Assistance Programmes for Parliaments. Recognizing the need to engage with younger generations, the CPA organizes Youth Parliaments, which is one of the successful outreach programmes of the CPA. Four such Commonwealth Youth Parliaments have been organized so far. The CPA also encourages and supports Branches in holding their own Youth Parliaments. The

4 CPA website offers resources and information on CPA activities and those of all Branches of the Association

5 COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION 22 ND COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY SEMINAR NEW DELHI, INDIA NOVEMBER, 2011 AGENDA: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARLIAMENT AND THE PEOPLE (SESSION NO. 7) SATURDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2011, 11:00 HRS. CHAIR - Hon. Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony, Kenya PRESENTER - Mr. Parm Gill, MP, Canada PARLIAMENT OF INDIA NEW DELHI

6 It was agreed that relations between the Parliament and the People are of immense importance and need to be strengthened further by more interactions at both the levels. Initiating the subject, the Presenter stated that in a parliamentary democracy, the ultimate power lies with the people. The elected representatives are mandated by the people and it is essential that there are regular contact between the people (constituents) and the elected representatives for successful working of the democracy. It is, therefore, important that both the MPs and the citizens are well informed and knowledgeable. The MPs should have a regular dialogue with their constituents and engage them in public progress and keep them informed of good work done by the Parliamentarians by various means like holding public meetings, making use of the social networking facilities, like Facebook, Twitter, issuing newsletters, educating them about the public spending, etc. The delegate from NSW, Australia informed that he has brought out a pamphlet outlining the work done by him as a Parliamentarian for information of his constituents../ People put a lot of faith in MPs and they have a huge responsibility to represent and protect the interests of their constituents. The MPs should, therefore, keep themselves better informed about the policies and decisions which affect the people. There should be a two-way interaction with the people and public bodies. The Political Parties should also choose good candidates so that they are able to contribute towards strengthening of the institution and also

7 watch the interests of their constituents. The delegates expressed their concern over the role of money in the electoral process and political power. Regarding compulsory voting which was prevalent in some countries, it was felt that though voters should not be compelled to vote, it was a good idea to involve all the eligible voters in the electoral process so as to give them a sense of belonging. The Presenter informed that in Canada, the voters are encouraged to vote in the elections. The employer is bound to give leave to the employee to go and vote and the voter can vote any time during the period of 36 days after issue of the writs (calling of the election) at his/her convenience. The delegate from Malta informed that although there was no compulsory voting in his country, yet 90% of voters vote during the elections. Dissemination of information about the Parliament and its working goes a long way in establishing a link with the people. This should be done through the electronic and print media, personal visits, etc. Some Parliaments have dedicated TV and radio channels for live coverage of its proceedings and websites containing all information about the Parliament, which are very effective means of knowing./ about the Parliament and the performance of their representatives. People, especially youth and students, should be encouraged to visit Parliament to acquaint them with the role of Parliament and the work done by the Parliamentarians for the development and welfare of the country.

8 SG, CPA, stated that the parliamentary institutions should be further strengthened. In this, the Speaker of the Parliament plays a great role by upholding the independence of the institution and ensuring accountability of the Executive to the Parliament. The Parliamentarians too should serve the people who elect them, solve their problems and help in securing good governance. It is, therefore, imperative that only the best people are elected so that a good, sustainable system is in place with help from their constituents