Good governance and its role in peace-building

Speech by deputy speaker Chandima Weerakkody at the 125th Inter-Parliamentary Summit held in Bern, Switzarland on October 15 to 20

Since its inception in 1889, the IPU has become more applicable, contemporary and efficacious, having made a significant contribution towards promoting good governance around the world. Your presence at this Assembly therefore, is a reflection of the importance and recognition accorded to the functions of Parliaments and Parliamentarians the world over.

Chandima Weerakkody. Picture by Ranjith Asanka

I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the President of the IPU, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, who would be completing his term as President of the IPU. He has admirably steered the IPU for the last three years and facilitated the debates and discussions of this organization to ensure a productive and successful outcome. We would miss his strong presence and would always remember his unwavering support for democracy and tolerance.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development and that it was a key element in ensuring peace, stability and security. This statement is perhaps more true today than the time it was being articulated in the late 1990s.

Political freedom

Today, parliaments, ministries and government institutions, multinational corporations and people at large endeavour to define the term ‘good governance’. The concept of good governance is as old as civilization.

We come across certain terms, which cannot be defined with universal acceptance such as democracy, liberty, intellectual freedom or political freedom. Despite the fact that there is no single and exhaustive definition of good governance, it identifies key attributes such as participation, predictability, responsiveness, rule of Law, equity, strategic vision and leadership.

Peace and security

If any nation is to be economically empowered and advanced, and if it wishes to promote peace, stability and security, the establishment of good governance becomes an imperative and indispensable factor.

Good governance is critical to any form of government and it cannot be neglected under any circumstances.

If one carries out a cursory analysis of countries, one could arrive at a conclusion that countries which exercise good governance have earned peace, stability and security.

This is, of course, at different and varying degrees, depending on the depth and breadth of application and execution of good governance.

In other words, it would be patently clear that an indisputable correlation does exist between good governance and peace and security. On the same note, one could witness the absence of peace, stability and security in countries where good governance is not tangibly present or exercised.

Good governance, embodied with the attributes I stated earlier, would lead to economic, social and political advancement and empowerment, thus diminishing the likelihood of instability. Further, it promotes peace, stability, security and development in any given nation.

Unfortunately, today we do not provide adequate focus on good governance as it deserves. Good governance would also benefit the government of the day, the peoples of the respective country and of course the neighbouring nations as well. In other words, good governance when comprehensively applied, could markedly reduce the rise of any conflict.

Middle East and North Africa

The world witnessed the change of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, as a result of the uprisings that emerged almost a year ago in the Middle East and the African regions. The instability and internal strife continues in Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These are monumental evolutions and developments on the political tapestry of the MENA region.

One can argue that the type of government depends on the culture, geography and history of a nation, among other factors. However, the people in the Middle East and North Africa have felt a new found freedom and aspire to achieve economic prosperity and political pluralism thorough equality and justice for all. At the end of the day, we believe what is paramount is the desires and hopes of these people.

My country experienced a conflict with one of the world’s most brutal and ruthless terrorist organizations for three decades. It was only two years ago that the country succeeded in eliminating and annihilating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam known as the LTTE. May I place on record that this was not a civil war. It was terrorism, nothing more or nothing less, than terrorism. This situation did not arise due to the absence of good governance or the lack of application of the attributes of good governance. In fact, even during the time of the conflict, the government of Sri Lanka ensured that the administrative mechanisms were in place to guarantee that the people in the conflict areas were provided with all essential requirements including food, access to medication and healthcare, among others.

Extremists and separatists

The government of Sri Lanka upholds and adheres to the intrinsic attributes of good governance.

However, allow me to impress that terrorism cannot be eliminated by the application of good governance alone.

These are extremists and separatists who have absolutely no respect for human lives or property. Sri Lanka countered the terrorist conflict effectively to comprehensively liberate the North and East of the country and free the people from the shackles of tyranny and terror. However, the task was not an easy one, as we had to face terrorism on one hand and undue extraneous foreign pressure on the other. Good governance applies to all of us here, the entire international community. It is our responsibility to ensure that the world is a more secure and peaceful place.

It is our responsibility to take the necessary course of action when the circumstances legitimately demand it. It is our responsibility to make an objective distinction, without prejudice, of the need to eliminate terrorism and of the need to restore good governance, to ensure peace and security for the peoples of this world.