PARLIAMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
THE EVOLVING ROLE OF PARLIAMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The development challenges facing nations today require that their democratic institutions find new and more effective ways to work for and with their people. The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Parliament of South Africa says his institution is refocusing its processes so it plays its full role, including contributing actively to the development of the next generation of Millennium Development Goals.
The Mace of the National Assembly of South Africa.
Hon. Max Sisulu, MP, in Cape Town. Mr Sisulu was elected Speaker of the National Assembly in May 2009. He was an African National Congress MP from 1994 to November 1998 when he moved to a career in business. He chaired a portfolio committee on reconstruction and development and was the ANC’s Chief Whip. The head of the ANC Department of Economic Planning in Zambia before it relocated to South Africa in 1991, Mr Sisulu established the National Institute of Economic Policies in 1991. He holds Master’s degrees in Economics and in Public Administration.
The 21st century is presenting Parliaments with more complex challenges and changes requiring us to operate differently. There are many factors which today impact on democracy and require that the voice of ordinary people be heard and fully represented in our work. These include poverty, climate change, the global economic crisis, the increasing prevalence of devastating natural disasters and the rise in inter- and intra-state conflicts. The rapid advances in technology
and information technology in particular have had a significant impact on the way in which we operate in the world today. The recent financial crisis has
resulted in increased inequalities between the rich and poor. This means that those in the lower margins of our societies are becoming more powerless. This is obviously a challenge for us as Members as we need to ensure that we protect our societies from these adverse situations and to provide appropriate solutions to eradicate the sources of these inequalities. In the face of these new
6 | The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa
regarding the direction in which the institution is moving. The Strategic Plan identified four core values that underpin our functioning of the institution: constitutionality, people-centred-ness, co-operative governance, professionalism and institutional governance. These core values identified
Hon. Max Sisulu, MP
challenges, Parliaments must review their roles to ensure that they are continually in step with new developments and the demands of the modern world and more importantly our people. To this end, Parliaments must adapt and modernize their legislative and oversight roles to ensure that we are able to respond to the challenges of our contemporary world and realities. To address the evolving role of
Parliament, in 2009 the South African Parliament adopted a Strategic Plan that seeks to create a common vision for our Parliament, establishing a high level of synergy and understanding
are similar to those that the Global Parliament Report of 2012 raised as dominant challenges facing Legislatures all over the world in contemporary democracies.
Reaching out to represent The role and ultimate function of Parliament is to represent the people. Parliament acts as the voice of the people and, as such, involvement of the people is an imperative to truly be that voice. The demand for Parliament to
represent the voices of the people has increased over the years, particularly with the deepening of democracy and the demand of good governance increasing. Although Parliaments continue to perform the traditional roles of law-making, overseeing government actions and
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199