Timor-Leste Parliament embarks on strategic planning

Increasingly, parliaments, as pillars of democracy and good governance, are involved in developing long-term strategies that reflect their vision for self-development. In this context, parliaments should be continually reviewing their practices and procedures and taking corrective action to address short comings in the way they implement the mandate given to them by the people. This was the thrust of a workshop organized recently in Dili by the IPU and UNDP, in cooperation with the parliamentary authorities of Timor-Leste.

Participants were acquainted with the tools of forward planning, which as explained during the workshop, should involve a review of past and present practices and experiences, as the basis for developing a plan for a more efficient and productive institution.

Working with experts, legislators and parliamentary staff of Timor- Leste identified the building blocks for a strategic plan for the Parliament of Timor-Leste. Participants stressed that the success of such a plan required the sharing of ideas and a strong commitment of the stakeholders in the parliament: the leadership and members of parliament, the government as well as the staff of parliament and the public Following the workshop the parliament is set to prepare and adopt its strategic plan. This exercise should also be informed by the recently published IPU self-assessment toolkit entitled Evaluating Parliament. It provides a framework and opportunity for any parliament to assess its performance against a set of criteria framed into a series of questions, such as:

- Does parliament reflect the votes of the people and the interests of minority groups and regions? Are parliament and its committees open to the media and the public? How effectively are decisions of parliament transmitted to the public? Can the public and groups make submissions to parliament? Do citizens have input into proposed legislation? How accountable are members to their constituents? Are there agreed and open systems to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest for members? How well is parliament able to influence and scrutinize the national budget? Can the parliament scrutinize appointments to public positions?