The Hindu : National : Bridge disparities between nations, Somnath tells parliamentarians

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Friday, Nov 19, 2004

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Bridge disparities between nations, Somnath tells parliamentarians

By Our Special Correspondent

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, greeting the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Mohammed Yakoob (left) at the First India and Asia Regions Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference -2004 in Hyderabad on Thursday. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, looks on. — Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD, NOV.18. The first India and Asia Regions Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference began here today with a call by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, to the developed nations to be responsive to the needs, interests, capacities and potential of the developing countries.

Inaugurating the meet, Mr. Chatterjee said bridging the disparities between and within nations was an essential step "we have to take to strengthen the fabric of democracy." In the highly interdependent world of today, he said, democratic societies could not sustain and grow in isolation. "Practice of democracy will continue to be imperfect as long as vast masses continue to live in poverty and misery," he added.

Improving political democracy

Urging the parliamentarians to strive to transform "our democracies", he said another area that required the attention of parliamentarians of India and Asia regions was the content of political democracy itself in some of our societies.

Saying there existed a wide variety of political institutions in the countries of the Asia region, Mr. Chatterjee called for improving the quality of political democracy in themember countries.

Referring to "important issues" such as eradicating hunger, corruption and enhancing good governance, he said poverty reduction should be one of the primary objectives.

The greatest challenge in a parliamentary system was to bridge the gap between the expectations of the people and the effectiveness of the delivery mechanisms.

"In this context, parliamentarians with their rich and varied experiences can suggest ways and means to provide good governance so that we can help in building an egalitarian, progressive and prosperous social order."

Describing corruption as an "insidious plague" that corrodes the vitals of many societies, particularly in the developing countries, Mr. Chatterjee said, "not only does it pose a serious challenge to development, but it can also undermine democracy and good governance." Calling for effective institutional mechanisms to contain corruption, he said parliamentarians had to set an example through their own personal behaviour.

Call for cooperation

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker, K. R. Suresh Reddy, referred to Panchsheel in his welcome address and said:

"If we follow this philosophy truly, it is possible for us to flourish together. Our problems are common, but our approach is uncommon. We must overcome this because we know that to achieve peace and stability in any region, sound economic development and strong trade relations can prove to be vital ingredients."

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