WORKSHOP F - PARLIAMENTS AND PMOs
Left: Hon. Muhammad Uteem, MP, Mauritius; This page: Deputy Sandra James, Guernsey
of technology in order to promote access to information but also cautioned about security. Social media being a platform to disseminate parliamentary information and a platform for Parliamentarians to be actively engaged with citizens was reiterated. Mr Levac reinforced the point that secrecy should be avoided and Parliamentarians had the responsibility to provide the truth and eliminate the gaps.
However Mr Hubli argued that to some extent some information needs to be dealt with behind closed doors. Peace agreements for example, are conducted in private but the public still needs to be informed. Dr Kunbour responded that there is a need to move towards open sessions, given the public nature of Parliamentary work.
Recommendations from the Workshop:
Parliamentary Openness be reviewed in order to reduce the barriers faced by PMOs in making information available to citizens in formats that were useful. • Parliamentary use of social media: The study group noted that the use of social media could be effective in providing information to the public by educating citizens about the work of Parliament. As a result this should be considered for a review in the Benchmarks. • Benchmarks for democratic parliamentary behaviour: The study group recognized that Parliament had a responsibility to build public trust and therefore it was obliged to account for its actions more regularly than ever before. They recommend- ed that there be an ethical govern- ance section which would cover transparency and integrity.
• Collaborations between Parlia- ments, CPA and PMOs: There was a greater need for the parliamentary leadership, senior staff and PMOs to communicate in order to achieve the common goal. It was important that the CPA Secretariat identi- fied and worked with independent non-partisan PMOs within the Commonwealth in order to provide support, expertise and commentary on future CPA recommendations or study groups.
Technology has changed the world
Hon. Rana Afzal Hussain, MNA, also expressed the same sentiments by adding that Parliaments should be more responsive to the demands of access to information in order to reach every citizen through technology. He indicated that PMOs are useful
in modern times, and that the different roles PMOs play in different countries and their use of technology help strengthen components of democratic governance such as accountability, transparency and public participation.
Mr Hussain further stated that in Pakistan they have many such organizations which have in turn helped strengthen the components of democratic governance. These organizations have been active at all state levels, from district, provincial to the central government. The PMOs in Pakistan play this role by holding seminars, symposiums, round table discussions and conferences.
Comments
Hon. Lulama Smuts Ngonyama, MP, South Africa, commented that his government supported the use
Recommendation One: “Democratic governance has assumed global significance roles; Parliaments and Parliament Monitoring Organisations play complementary roles in governance processes. ICT should provide an interface for such processes.” Recommendation Two: “Enhancing public participation and education about Parliament involves more than using technology to provide information; Parliaments must ensure information is explained and put into context.”
Recommendation Three: “The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association endorses the principles of the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness and should develop recommended benchmarks for democratic parliamentary conduct.” Recommendation Four:
“The role of Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations should be enhanced to make Parliamentarians, especially young Parliamentarians, performance up to mark and make the Parliament Committees effective.”
All recommendations from the Workshop were endorsed.
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