"MDGs were written without engaging people by a small number of people! This was the first failure as people were supposed to be part of something later which they were not involved in developing at all! This process of APFSD has changed that. There is no accountability in relation to the systems that underpin the cause of development -- MDGs were imposed over developing countries to try and give the minimum amount they could give to the people. There was no accountability for the causes of marginalisation, inequality, etc. That was the biggest systemic failure in nature of MDGs and process of developing them" said Kate to Citizen News Service (CNS).
Selina Napa, a MP from Cook Islands who got elected in 2012, said: "Parliamentarians are accountable to the people and communities they represent. I have taken hard decisions which goes against interests of corporations but were in interest of protecting environment and people's interests. If it is going to effect the environment and well being of people then we need to take hard decisions."
Albina Freitas, a MP from Timor Leste, and Vice President of Timor Leste Women Parliamentary Caucus is widely recognized as a women's rights activists as well as a parliamentarian. After many years of political upheaval in Timor Leste, it became an independent nation in 2002. But it has left the world behind in ensuring high level of female parliamentarians getting elected (29%)! Albina got involved with women's rights movement as a youth. Later her husband who was a commander in troubled Timor Leste got killed and she was arrested, beaten up and put in jail. Her difficult journey of courage over the years as an activist to leading Timor Leste as a parliamentarian is indeed inspiring. "All women parliamentarians unite when it comes to women's issues. That is why we have formed a Women Parliamentary Caucus. However on other issues we have our ideologies and party positions" said Albina.
Making democracy functional!
Just with a power to vote every five years, governments are not being held to account for promises they do not deliver upon. Few reasons in some countries such as India are clear: role of money and muscle power has become central in elections. Delivering upon pro-people promises is not enough to get elected to the parliament due to the changing nature of politics with increased role of those with money. So one positive change could be to make money irrelevant in elections so that any common citizen can contest on equal footing - and people can judge before casting their votes who has delivered on promises!
"Parliamentarians should be accountable to people who put them there as they are people's representatives. But the truth is often different: they are not being put up by people but by corporations because money usually buys positions. Corporatisation of parliamentary democracy is a major issue because of which real decisions are getting excluded from the parliament. Trade and investment decisions are done behind closed doors secretly with corporations. For example, countries that are pushing for Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) have not shared full information with their own parliament. So all of their own parliamentarians do not know what is in them! How can parliamentarians be truly accountable when they themselves do not have full information" said Kate Lappin.
Accountability is indeed critically important for making any development agenda work! Let's hope it becomes central to post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
Bobby Ramakant, Citizen News Service -- CNS
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