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• 'The Challenges of Democracy In The Pacific'

'The Challenges of Democracy In The Pacific'

Date: 19 Aug 2002
Speaker: Secretary-General Don McKinnon
Location: The Roundtable Of Pacific Commonwealth Leaders. Sheraton Royal, Denarau, Nadi, Fiji islands

Hon Laisenia Qarase, Prime Minister of Fiji Islands, Heads of Government of Commonwealth Pacific Island countries, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum,
Distinguished Guests, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I would like to extend to you all a very warm welcome to this Roundtable of Heads of Government of Commonwealth Pacific Islands Countries, on the Challenges of Democracy in the Pacific.

I am very grateful to all the leaders of the Commonwealth's Pacific Island countries for accepting my invitation to attend this Roundtable following the two days of intensive Forum deliberations in Suva. I believe your presence here in itself demonstrates your commitment to the central issue to be discussed at our Roundtable - democracy in the Pacific.

May I also convey again my sincere appreciation to Prime Minister Qarase and the Government of Fiji Islands for their agreement, at fairly short notice, to host this Commonwealth Roundtable amongst the many other regional and international meetings Fiji has hosted this year.

Thank you also for the very warm welcome and hospitality we have received in your beautiful country.

The genesis of this Roundtable is a similar event organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat in Botswana some five years ago, when African leaders came together to discuss the challenges of democracy in Africa.

That too was preceded by a meeting which brought together politicians from ruling and opposition parties, some of whom thus talked to each other for the first time within their own countries.

That, of course, is not the Pacific way. Here politicians do talk to each other across the political divide, or so we believe anyway.

But this is certainly the first gathering of Commonwealth Pacific leaders focussed entirely on democracy and good governance, values which the Commonwealth holds to be a fundamental basis of our association.

I sincerely believe it is your mission, as leaders of this region, to continue to strive for the promotion and consolidation of democratic processes and institutions. Democratic practice and culture are not only fundamental to an open and just society, but are essential ingredients for political, social and economic development.
Here in the Pacific, democracy has faced several challenges in recent years, and strains have emerged between the inherited model most states adopted on independence, and more traditional forms of governance and democratic practice.

It was in this context that I felt the time was right to look carefully at how democracy in the Pacific could better blend the particular circumstances of Pacific culture and social values with the universal democratic principles.

So I hope we have been able to give you the opportunity to put aside the many daily pressures and challenges of leadership, the constant demands of the Office of President or Prime Minister or Premier, be they economic or social, be it education or health, migration or fisheries - and step back and reflect on what democracy is all about, what people's expectations in the 21st century are all about.

The two-day Preparatory Meeting to this Roundtable, which was well attended by Parliamentarians from both the governing and opposition ranks of each island country represented here, concluded last Friday. It produced a Report for your consideration as national leaders at this Roundtable.

That Report has identified a number of aspects of democracy in the Pacific which warrant close examination. It touches on constitutional and electoral issues, the role of parliament, the place occupied by culture and tradition and other important considerations. It makes useful recommendations for you to consider.

I am sure it will provide the basis for frank and informal exchange of views, experiences and constructive debate amongst yourselves.

During my welcoming remarks at the Preparatory Meeting, I stated that this Roundtable would also provide an opportunity for Pacific leaders to take stock of relevant developments since the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991.

At their meeting in Coolum, Australia, in March this year, Commonwealth Heads of Government again reaffirmed their commitment to the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth as set out in the Harare Declaration.

The Heads of Government also signalled the Commonwealth's determination to uphold these fundamental political values by deciding to broaden the remit of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG).

Prior to Coolum, CMAG limited its attention to countries where a democratically elected government had been actually overthrown by unconstitutional means. From now on, however, CMAG has a clear mandate to take effective action against member countries which are in serious or persistent violation of the Harare Principles, not necessarily involving an unconstitutional overthrow of a democratically elected government.

This will reinforce CMAG's proactive role and is an important step forward in the development of the Commonwealth's commitment to democratic values.

It is worth noting here that Samoa from the Pacific Islands is a member of CMAG. Australia is also a member and the Group's Vice Chairman; and when I was Foreign Minister of New Zealand I had the privilege of serving as CMAG's Vice-Chairman for four years.

I have mentioned CMAG and its mandate to illustrate the Commonwealth's commitment to democratic values, and to demonstrate that this is a serious and active commitment, and one which was until recently unique amongst international organisations.

The commitment of the Commonwealth of course derives from the fact that Commonwealth member nations themselves cherish democracy and good governance as the very framework of our association. I have little doubt that this will be further demonstrated in our discussions over the next two days, and that further valuable insights into the Pacific experience with democracy will emerge.

I said at the beginning of the Preparatory Meeting last week that these deliberations are not designed to have outsiders preach to the Pacific island countries what they should or should not do. But you may certainly preach to one another, inform one another, challenge one another.

I know you will do this in the friendly Commonwealth way, which is almost as friendly as the Pacific way!

When asked by the media how we will judge the success of this meeting, my answer has been: this is part of a process; if each leader can take away two or three ideas from this Roundtable, promote a policy change within his own government and get the new policy implemented with the consent of parliament and acceptance by the people, democracy will truly have been advanced in the Pacific. If that were to happen, this Roundtable will truly have been a success.

Finally, may I take this opportunity to reaffirm the Commonwealth Secretariat's readiness to do all it can to support our Pacific Island members in implementing measures to meet the challenges to democracy which this Roundtable might identify. We stand ready to back our principled commitment in practical ways, within the limited means at our disposal.

I wish you a successful and productive meeting.

Vinaka vakalevu.