PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

and also to allow for increased participation of the citizens in the
affairs of the country.
The history of racial oppression under apartheid in South Africa has led
to a particularly strong democratic thrust to the new political order, and
especially to the character of its Parliament. The reforms of Parliament to date
have been ‘aimed at ensuring that it fosters a culture of democracy and that its
procedures and processes embody the democratic principles that South Africa
aspires to.’ But the submission notes that the work of democratisation remains
unfinished, and that Parliament faces many challenges if it is to realise the
vision it has embraced since 1994:
Its vision….. is to build an effective people’s parliament that is responsive
to the needs of the people and that is driven by the ideal of
realising a better quality of life for all the people of South Africa.
Despite Parliament’s many achievements in the decade of democracy,
its strategic objectives indicate that it is not content to sit on its laurels
and has already taken steps to address the challenges that it faces at
present, as well as those new challenges that it foresees.
Established democracies
Facing the future I 189
With regard to the long-established democracies, most see the main democratic
challenge and impetus for parliamentary reform as being the need to
keep the institution relevant in the context of rapid social change and potential
public apathy. ‘A major challenge’, notes the Australian House of
Representatives, ‘is keeping the parliamentary institution relevant to the needs
and perceptions of the public it represents.’ ‘Restoring public confidence’ is
described as part of the objective of reforms made by the Canadian
Parliament. ‘Working hard to regain citizens’ trust’ is identified by the
Netherlands Parliament as the impetus behind its many recent initiatives, since
an essential characteristic of democracy ‘is that citizens can identify with
the work and working methods of their parliamentarians, and that they feel
represented by them.’ And so on.
For all the parliaments of the established democracies, reform is a continuing
process, usually institutionalised in a specific standing committee. In
India, adapting the traditional Westminster system to Indian conditions and
culture has seen a constant process of evolution since 1947; most recently, the
increase in the number of parties in the two chambers, to 38 and 30 respec-