Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Home
  2. What's New
  3. Who We Are
  4. What We Do
    1. Democracy
    2. Economics
    3. Education
    4. Gender
    5. Governance
    6. Health
    7. Human Rights
    8. Law
    9. Small States
    10. Sport
    11. Sustainability
    12. Youth
    13. Millennium Development Goals
    14. Funding
  5. News
    1. Events
    2. News Archive Search
    3. Picture Stories
  6. Media Room
    1. Press Archive Search
    2. Media Contacts
    3. CommonwealthTV
    4. Podcast: Pick of the Commonwealth
    5. Events
    6. In the Media
    7. Updates
    8. Downloads
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us
Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Political parties must reform says Commonwealth Secretary-General

9 September 2002

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said that Commonwealth parliamentarians must commit themselves to the reform and renewal of their political parties. Speaking today in Windhoek, Namibia at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference Mr McKinnon urged "active commitment not to our parties as they are today but to our parties as they can and should be". After pointing out that "when Commonwealth countries experience political crises it is often the troubled state of the main political parties that lies at the heart of the problem", he called for political parties to:

  • - show the relevance of politics to the lives of ordinary people;
  • demonstrate that ideas and principles matter;
  •  promote responsible and reasoned debate;
  •  improve political behaviour, "championing as well as complying with campaign Codes of Conduct and - when in office - declining the opportunities to abuse the advantages of incumbency";
  •  play their full part in improving the quality of election arrangements;
  • strengthen the culture of democracy within their own organisations, and as part of that be more open and transparent in their internal governance.

The Secretary-General concluded by encouraging the parliamentarians to "do what you can to encourage your own political parties to 'raise their game'."

Note to Editors:

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference is an annual conference that brings together representatives of the branches of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. This is the second occasion on which Mr McKinnon has addressed the Conference.
The full text of the Secretary-General's speech is be available on the Commonwealth Secretariat website at www.thecommonwealth.org

Share this page
About this

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int