Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand opened the 122nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Bangkok this evening, wishing the participants every success for a smooth and productive meeting. The major parliamentary gathering would be “another crucial opportunity for parliamentarians to consult and discuss issues facing the international community collectively,” she said, expressing the hope that the conference would strengthen the prevalence of democracy worldwide.
The Speaker of the Thai National Assembly, Mr. Chai Chidchob, expressed his hope that the world gathering of parliamentarians would help to generate greater opportunities for participation by the public in the many aspects of the democratic process. He referred to the variety of themes before the Assembly and its various bodies under the general heading of “Parliament at the heart of reconciliation and good governance”. Echoing some of those issues, Mr. Prasobsook Boondech, President of the Thai Senate, said that the world was still grappling with the imbalances between development and the need to protect a sustainable environment. These distortions found expression in natural disasters and epidemics, transnational crime and economic crises. “The IPU is well placed to push for the efficient resolution of such problems,” he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Trairong Suwankiri, referring to the separation of powers under a constitutional monarchy such as Thailand’s, said that he was honored, on behalf of the executive branch, to support the parliament’s activities. Cooperation between all branches was needed to solve the problems mentioned by his counterparts, including in international organizations.
The IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, said that parliament was at the heart of political tolerance, national reconciliation and good governance. It made the laws and thrashed out the compromises. “You sit people down, you knock their heads together, and you get them to negotiate. That is what the parliamentary chamber is for”. Democracy, he said, had much to grapple with, and parliamentarians should remain realistic about what they could do. “But if we believe in the principles and system of democracy, rest assured. It will deliver”. The IPU President called for realism, level-headedness and a sense of hope
A message from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, read by Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, UNCTAD Secretary General, also alluded to the question of democracy. “Your chosen theme,” he said, “reflects the important insight that elections are not, by themselves, enough to make a democracy. What matters too is the quality of governance after the ballots have been counted. Parliaments play a central role in ensuring good governance”. He added that parliaments’ legitimacy could be undermined in places where they were not representative of the population, pointing out that women accounted for less than 19 per cent of parliamentarians worldwide and that in some multi-ethnic societies, large minority groups were not adequately represented in the legislature. The message also drew attention to three priorities on which the IPU had an important role to play: the Millennium Development Goals, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and climate change.
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