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Accomplishing another intention to strengthen the country’s diplomatic significance in the world; the 58th Meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is now held in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, being an active member of the CPA from the beginning, has contributed towards its worthy endeavor of endorsing the progression of Parliamentary Democracy by enhancing comprehension and consideration of democratic governance, by hosting several major CPA events so far.

This is not the first time we are holding a CPA annual conference. Sri Lanka was the venue for CPA conferences on two previous occasions – in 1974 and 1995. However, this conference has a particular significance for the country. At the 57th Meeting of the CPA held in London last year, Speaker Chamal Rajapakse who led Sri Lanka’s delegation was conferred the presidency of the association

Professor Amal Jayawardane

Commenting on the significance of being a Commonwealth country and holding CPA in Sri Lanka, the Senior Professor Amal Jayawardane, Head of the Department of International Relations, University of Colombo, outlined the historical evolution and its current condition in a discussion with the Daily News.

The Commonwealth is a large umbrella organization and is known as the “Commonwealth family.” The Commonwealth has evolved over a long period of time, and particularly after the end of the British Empire, its membership has dramatically flourished.

At the beginning there were less countries but now there are 54 countries in the Commonwealth and these countries have over 175 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association branches. There are about 17,000 parliamentarians in the Commonwealth at present which clearly shows the organizations powerful structure.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is one of the most important bodies of the Commonwealth. CPA is basically a grouping of Commonwealth parliamentarians whose mission is to promote good governance, democracy and human rights.

There are other associations such as the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association.

Furthermore there is Commonwealth Games, which is held every four years which is a big event organized for the purpose of promoting sports activities among the commonwealth countries.

This association was first established in 1911 at Westminster with the participation of British parliamentarians and members from five dominion parliaments.

Then it was known as the Empire Parliamentary Association. In 1948 it was renamed as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The 57th CPA was held in London last year, to celebrate the Centennial of the founding of this oldest organization of the Commonwealth.

At the 57th Meeting of the CPA held in London last year, Speaker Chamal Rajapakse who led Sri Lanka’s delegation was conferred the presidency of the association. Therefore, Sri Lanka is hosting the 58th Annual Conference in Colombo from September 7 to 15 .

What is the nature of the Commonwealth activity that will take place in Sri Lanka next month?

It’s an eight-day conference expected to have about 800 delegates, including Speakers, parliamentarians, parliamentary officials and other observers. Thus, the forthcoming conference in Colombo will bring together legislators from across the Commonwealth to share their experiences and address issues relating to democratic governance. Such annual gatherings would help promote cooperation and consultation among Commonwealth legislatures and sharing of best practices.

What is the main objective of the conference and how would the member states be benefited?

The general theme of the conference is: “Ensuring a Relevant Commonwealth for the Future.” Under this general theme, several sessions have been organized to discuss issues such as: Access to health, education and vocational training; Tackling youth unemployment; Terrorism; Gender responsive governance; Role of parliamentarians in conflict Resolution and peace-building; the politics of Constitution-making. There is also a session titled: “Should the Commonwealth Establish a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights?” What is reflected here is the growing concern about the need to ensure “human security” which is a precedence area in the present day security discourse.

It is certainly a challenge if you take it in a positive way. There is no doubt that people’s confidence in their legislatures is diminishing. This is not limited to Sri Lanka and it’s a global phenomenon. Rather than serving the interests of the people, parliamentarians are serving their own interests and the interests of the political parties they belong to. As some have pointed out the traditional role of parliament to pass legislation is not sufficient. There is a need to devise and evolve new mechanisms to enhance citizen’s involvement in decision-making not only during the election time but also in between elections. Participatory democracy should be made more meaningful. In this information age people voice their concerns in many different ways and they want to be heard.

It is extremely interesting to note that there is a final plenary session in the Colombo agenda titled “The Role of Social Media in Modern Day Politics.” This is good and that’s the way it should be.

Is the CPA Meeting merely an annual one-off event and nothing happens in between annual gatherings?

Not at all. There are nine commonwealth regions and regional meetings are held separately on various occasions.

Some regions are more active and vibrant than others. Within the CPA there is another grouping called “Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP).” Gender is a very important issue today and there are discussions on women as agents of change.

The CWP encourages female representation in parliament which is very low in some countries including Sri Lanka. The CWP has a steering committee which includes a representative from each region. Thus, CPA is active right throughout the year. Regular consultation is also maintained through visits, seminars, and publications.

Is there a special significance for Sri Lanka in holding this conference this year?

Yes. Sri Lanka has a long- established democratic tradition. The Universal Franchise was introduced in Sri Lanka as far back as in 1931. There have been regular regime changes since independence. In the recent past, however, Sri Lanka’s commitment to democracy and human rights has been increasingly questioned by the International community. We can make use of this conference to reassert our commitment to democracy and human rights. We should do so not only by words but by deeds. That would also help Sri Lanka’s standing at the forthcoming UPR in Geneva.

Definitely this would help in increasing the country’s diplomatic significance to make Sri Lanka a well recognized state in the world. This can also be used to prepare the background for another important event that we are going to host in this country. That is the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which will be held in Sri Lanka in 2013. As a result of the end of the military conflict, now the delegates can travel to any part of the island and they can get first hand experience. Sri Lanka can make use of this opportunity to showcase its post war developments and the government’s concern of upgrading the living status of civilians.

There is a longstanding bond between Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth. Sri Lanka became a member of the Commonwealth since the very beginning of her independence and was among the eight countries which adopted the London Declaration in April 1949, and in that sense, Sri Lanka can be considered a founding member of the New Commonwealth.

Due to the Soviet veto, Sri Lanka could not gain membership in the United Nations till the end of 1955; therefore, it was the Commonwealth which provided an excellent opportunity for the country to be active in the international arena.

During the early days of independence when the country did not have sufficient experience or well-developed infrastructure for the conduct of foreign policy, Sri Lanka benefitted a lot from the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO) in maintaining communications with the outside world. The Commonwealth also figured in Sri Lanka’s security calculations.

Economically also, the Commonwealth was important for Sri Lanka as her trade relations were mostly with the country’s of the Sterling Area. The Colombo Plan was evolved as a result of the discussions that took place at the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers meeting held in Colombo in January 1950.

All the Prime Ministers/Executive Presidents who came to power during the post-independent period considered Sri Lanka’s membership in the Commonwealth as an important factor in the country’s foreign policy. During the last three decades Sri Lanka tried to make use of the Commonwealth forum to emphasize the need to eliminate terrorism. Sri Lanka has been an active participant in all the activities of the Commonwealth.

Sri Lanka will also be the venue for the CHOGM in 2013. Other than these activities in the political arena, Sri Lanka has also been an active participant in other spheres such as education, culture, sports and technical cooperation.

Being a small country, Sri Lanka’s role in international affairs has been remarkably active since the early days of independence. Sri Lanka’s image abroad was severely tarnished during the three decades of war. With the end of the war, the crucial challenge for Sri Lanka is to strive to regain the standing and fine reputation it once had within the international community. To achieve that, hosting CPA would be an ideal initiative through which the country’s reputation could be reestablished among the member states of Commonwealth.

Ensuring a relevant commonwealth for the future