Political tolerance in the words of Speakers of Parliament

The Universal Declaration on Democracy was adopted by the IPU Council on 16 September 1997 in Cairo (Egypt). During the 1st Preparatory Meeting of the Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in Geneva in July 2009, some Speakers of Parliaments gave their views to The World of Parliaments on the importance of political tolerance. Among them was Dr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour, who was President of the IPU when the Declaration was adopted in Cairo.

Dr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour, Speaker of People’s Assembly of Egypt

"The value of tolerance must prevail in order to minimize the desire to use force or revenge"

I am happy to celebrate the International Day of Democracy because I was the one who proposed the Universal Declaration on Democracy during my presidency of the IPU. This celebration adds to the prestige of the IPU, likening it to the United Nations, which celebrates the Declaration of Human Rights. It will deepen the values of democracy because although people and governments may forget, when we ring the bell every year and say that there is a Declaration on Democracy, people will hear and study the values of our Declaration. We also have to ask UNESCO to introduce the principles of this Declaration in their education programme. If students are taught the principles of human rights they should also be taught the principles of democracy. The principles of human rights are codified in treaties on civil, political, human and social rights. The IPU has to work towards developing a model treaty on respecting the principles of democracy with a view to fostering political tolerance. Parliament is composed of the majority and the opposition. If political tolerance is desired in society, the parliament - through dialogue between the opposition and the majority - can help to achieve tolerance. Parliament has also to play the role of mediator vis-à-vis the diversity of society. The value of tolerance must prevail in order to minimize the desire to use force or revenge. If there is no tolerance, we will all pay the price of violence and terrorism in the world.

Mr. Max Sisulu, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa

"Tolerance is all about listening to what others say and trying to meet people halfway"

Tolerance should involve for the majority the ability to listen to the minority and for the minority it should entail having the courage to express its views. Even within the same party, it should mean listening to different views on the same issue. Tolerance is all about listening to what others say and trying to meet people halfway. Political parties can do more, can do better, and can do it differently. In Africa, there are new democracies, some of them emerging from conflict. Rwanda is a classic example, where parties which were in conflict are now sitting together to adopt laws in the interest of the entire population. This is an important experience for the people of Rwanda and indeed the people of Africa. In South Africa, the situation was similar. There was a party which fought against apartheid with the support of the international community. When apartheid ended, we were able to sit together with the former regime, in the same parliament and in the government of national unity composed of the African National Congress (ANC) and the National Party. Nelson Mandela was the first democratically elected President of South Africa and Frederick De Klerk, the former leader of the National Party, was one of the Deputy Presidents. We hope that this will serve as an example for other countries in Africa coming out of a conflict.

Mr. Michel Temer, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil

Political tolerance and responsibility

The International Day of Democracy should be commemorated globally. Intolerant regimes can cause problems for all components of society. The idea of responsible tolerance is closely linked to the concepts of democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and freedom of association. This takes us back to the idea of responsibility. Speakers of Parliament would do well to disseminate these ideas in their respective countries.

Mr. Abdulhadi Al-Majali, Speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives

Democracy, human rights and tolerance differ from country to country

Democracy, human rights and tolerance differ from country to country. A majority of Speakers of Parliament believe that democracy should not be imposed and that there is no single model of democracy. Each country should decide on its own. The most important thing is to see the results. Will things on the ground change because of our work and our discussions? If they do not, nobody will hear about the IPU.