It’s important to remember that today’s gov’t may be tomorrow’s opposition- Viyay Bahuguna

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) representative, the Member of Parliament of India’s Lok Sabha, Vijay Bahuguna has said that it is important to remember that today’s government may be tomorrow’s opposition.

In her address at the launch of a three-day Commonwealth regional workshop in Malé, Maldives, on 13 June 2011, Indian MP Vijay Bahuguna said that government and opposition parties are the fundamental building blocks of a strong and effective parliament. He said that if one of these parties is not properly fulfilling its role then parliament, and democracy overall, will suffer.

“Government and opposition parties therefore need to find ways of working constructively together. It is important to remember that today’s government may be tomorrow’s opposition. Political parties represented in parliament need to see themselves as partners in the development of the democratic process,” he said.

MP Vijay Bahuguna said that still in many countries, the two sides fail to reach an understanding on what former Commonwealth Secretary-General Sir Don McKinnon has referred to as the ‘collaborative context’ for their work.

“There is often no agreement on the roles, rights and responsibilities of the two sides, on what a ‘constructive and responsible’ opposition means in practice, or on how government and opposition should work together to promote national consensus,” he said.

He said that if, in their respective roles, governing parties and opposition parties are to contribute to the greater good of their nation, they need to cultivate a relationship based on mutual confidence and trust. He said that confidence will enable them to agree on which aspects of the national interest transcend party divides and can therefore be legitimately withdrawn from inter-party strife and squabbles.

“It is also important to ensure that all sectors of society are represented in parliament. A key aspect of full societal representation is the inclusion of women in politics, and it is an area which needs improvement in most regions of the Commonwealth. The figure widely recognised as the minimum necessary level for adequate representation of women in Parliament is 30%. While progress has been made in the Commonwealth Asia region it is still relatively rare to find that level of representation. The current global average of national parliaments is 19%. I am pleased therefore that this issue will be addressed in a workshop session tomorrow, along with the importance on engaging youth in the political process,” he said.

The Indian MP said that a real commitment to democratic dialogue and to constructive opposition is essential to developing stronger and more effective democratic government. He said that if democracy in the Commonwealth Asia region is to continue to deepen, parliamentary institutions must be nurtured and supported.