PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

84 I PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
the very real danger that while the voice of the powerful may be heard,
the majority remain imprisoned in the silence to which their history
and circumstances have condemned them..
In the context of contribution to parliamentary committees specifically, the
submission identifies a number of constraints:
■ Time: heavy time obligations for poorer sections of the population preclude
active participation in anything beyond basic survival and the maintenance
of livelihood.
■ Access to the media: Although access to the media is vital for public
participation, the section of the population that has no exposure to the
media is likely to be poor, rural and African with little education.
■ A lack of transport: It is not always easy for people to afford or access
transport to visit Parliament.
■ Sharp inequality in education: A prerequisite for an informed and active
citizenry is a literate population.
■ Language diversity: The choice of language used by government and
the simplicity of the language used impact significantly on the ability of
citizens to obtain information and to participate.
Among the strategies developed to mitigate these constraints have been the
distribution of resources to marginalised groups to enable them to make effective
submissions and attend hearings; the holding of committee meetings in
the provinces; and the institution of a People’s Assembly (see below). The
submission acknowledges that such strategies are very resource intensive, and
that inequalities of influence continue to present a challenge.
Other countries have addressed this issue by holding public hearings on
legislation in localities across the country, and by conducting them informally
through oral evidence, which is then compiled for consideration by the relevant
committee of parliament. In an effort to promote better citizen involvement,
the House of Representatives in the Philippines conducts ‘out of town
public hearings particularly in the far-flung barangays of the country, and
ensuring that constituencies, sectors and concerned interest groups are given
sufficient opportunities to be heard and to present their side on legislative
issues.’ The National Assembly of St. Kitts puts all Bills into the public
domain for scrutiny and comment after first reading, so that the views of the
public can be taken into account at second and third readings: