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August - September 2008Newsletter of the Centre for Democratic
Institutions
CDI Newsletter | August - September �
This Issue
CDI.Newscentre for democratic institutions
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the 4th issue of CDI.News for 2008. This issue
highlights our work in promoting political party and parliamentary
development with the conclusion of our flagship Political Party
Development course and several parliamentary strengthening
activities. More information on these and other recent and
up-coming CDI activities are detailed in the following pages.
CDI’s work combines technical assistance and capacity build-ing
programs, networking, and interpersonal and knowledge exchange,
including the dissemination of CDI’s original research on democracy
and its institutions. Our focus coun-tries comprise Indonesia and
Timor-Leste in South East Asia and Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu in Melanesia.
CDI’s central goal is to support these regional focus countries
in strengthening their political parties & systems of
parliamentary governance. Accordingly, CDI works to:
Improve the operation and understanding of parliamentary
machinery by members of parliament and parliamentary staff in focus
countries
Strengthen political parties in focus countries through
im-proving the knowledge and skills of members and officials of
political parties
Extend networks in the region between Australian
parliamentarians, political party officials, and parliamentary
staff and their counterparts from focus coun-tries
CDI’s core budget is provided by AusAID, Australia’s Agency for
International Development.
CDI.News will keep you informed periodically of our activities
and events, and you can access this information at any time by
visiting our website: www.cdi.anu.edu.au.
Benjamin Reilly | CDI Director
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Phone: +61 (0)2 6125 0605 Fax: +61 (0)2 6125 9726
Email: [email protected]: www.cdi.anu.edu.au
Centre for Democratic InstitutionsAustralian National University
Canberra ACT 0200 | AUSTRALIA
Recent Activities CDI's 2008 Political Party Development Course
............................... 2
Secondment of Solomon Islands Parliamentary Official
................... 3
Recent Visitors to CDI .............................. 3
3rd CDI Indonesia-Australia Parliamentary Committees Forum
............ 4
CDI supports Australasian Study of Parliament Group Activities
..................... 5
CDI Deputy Director Participates in ACPAC Meeting
................................... 6
Political Engineering & Ethnic Politics in the Asia-Pacific
..................................... 6
ForthcomingCDI's 2008 Responsible Parliamentary Governance
Course ........... 6
Recent PublicationsParty Politics in East Asia New Volume edited
by Russell Dalton, Doh Chull Shin and Yun-Han Chu
................... 6
Assessing Political Party Aid Review by Ben Reilly
............................... 7
The Democratic Prospect in East Asia Essay by Carl Gershman
........................... 7
Is a League of Democracies a Good Idea? Policy Brief by Thomas
Carothers ............. 7
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/default.cfmmailto:[email protected]
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CDI’s flagship Political Party Development (PPD) course was held
for the third time from 12 to 23 May 2008 in Canberra. The two-week
course was again convened by CDI Associate Norm Kelly, and 19
senior party officials from 5 countries, including 5 women, were
accepted for the course from over 40 nominations received this
year.
The PPD course is designed to provide senior political party
officials from the Southeast Asia and South Pacific regions with
the skills to strengthen their parties and party systems, with the
objectives being improved governance and more stable
democracies.
The course is designed to provide participants with
An understanding of the core functions of political parties and
the factors that influence the development of party systems;
A better understanding of parties and party systems in the
region;
Information on the Australian political system, with insights
into how Australian political parties administer and organise
themselves;
Opportunities to develop contacts and networks with other
parties in their own countries and throughout the region; and
Strengthening of links with Australian parties and
institutions.
As in previous years, the course covered a range of topics
including functions of political parties, membership, party systems
and democratic development, policy, campaigns, electoral systems,
finances, women in politics, media, regulation of parties, and the
management of coalitions.
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CDI's 2008 Political Party Development Course
CDI Newsletter | August - September �
continued over
As part of the course, participants were also required to give
two presentations of their own – an introductory talk on their
party and its place in their country’s political system; and a
formal presentation on one of six topics which included A Voice for
Women; Internal Party Democracy; MP – Party Relations; and
Campaigning to Win. The standard of these presentations was very
high, and enabled the group to gain a better understanding of
regional differences in these topic areas.
As in previous years, the success of the course relied on the
active involvement and support of the main Australian political
parties, which was forthcoming from both the administrative and
parliamentary wings of the parties. At the administrative level,
the parties’ secretariats included presentations on the general
structure of their party administration, as well as coverage of
particular topics such as policy formulation, pre-selection
processes, campaigning, branch structures, and involvement of
women.
At the parliamentary level, the willingness of parliamentarians
to meet with the group during the budget sitting week was very much
appreciated. The group met with the following Members and
Senators:
Liberal: Senator Marise Payne.
Labor: Hon Bob McMullan MP and Senator Kate Lundy.
Greens: Senator Rachel Siewert.
The sessions with these representatives were very useful for
participants’ understanding of the relationship between the
parliamentary and lay wings of parties.
The experience and expertise of party officials added value to
the course. Of particular importance were the
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The PPD class of 2008
Recent Activities
http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au
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CDI Newsletter | August - September �
continued from page 2
presentations from:
Tony Eggleton, former Federal Director of the Liberal Party and
Chair of CDI’s Consultative Council – on the role of a major party
secretary,
Stephen Swift (former Democrats’ Campaign Director) – principles
of campaigning
Michael Morgan – ALP party structure and mechanisms,
Bruce Edwards – Liberal party structure and policy
development
Linda Reynolds, Liberal Deputy Federal Director –
campaigning
Lorraine Finlay – women in the Liberal party
Matt Cossey – Labor branch level structure and campaigning,
and
Stewart Jackson – Greens party structure and policy.
Graeme Dobell, an ABC journalist with more than 20 years
experience covering regional politics, gave an excellent
presentation on the role of the media in covering politics,
with particular reference to states in conflict.
All participants exhibited a genuine desire to learn, and to put
that learning into practice on their return to their respective
countries. It is expected that many of them will use the knowledge
gained not only to strengthen their party but to further train and
educate others.
The enthusiastic support and involvement of the Australian
political parties and their parliamentarians was critical to the
success of the course, and CDI acknowledges the willingness of the
parties to support and actively participate in the various
sessions. At the same time, PPD also helps the Australian parties
gain a better understanding of some of the issues and challenges
that confront political parties throughout the region.
Click on this link to access the full PPD 2008 report and more
on our website:
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PPD Convenor Norm Kelly leading participants in a session on Day
3 of the course covering the political and electoral systems of
Australia.
As part of CDI's support for initiatives that enable Australian
State and Territory Parliaments to assist their Pacific Island
counterparts, CDI recently arranged the secondment of an officer of
the Solomon
Islands National Parliament, Mr Jude Devesi, to the New South
Wales (NSW) Parliament for a month to work in a committee
secretariat administered by the NSW Legislative Assembly.
The purpose of the secondment was for a Solomon Islands
parliamentary officer to gain first hand experience working
alongside his NSW counterparts. Mr Devesi, Committee and Research
Officer with the Solomon Islands Parliament, completed his
secondment in the secretariat serving several parliamentary
committees including the Committee on the Health Care Complaints
Commission, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, and
the Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption. His
work focussed on preparing discussion and briefing papers for the
committees on their respective inquiries, assisting with the
holding of deliberative meetings of the committees, and preparing
for public hearings. In addition, Mr Devesi attended the Procedure
Office on sitting days to observe preparation for sittings of the
NSW Legislative Assembly.
Click on this link for more detail on our website:
Recent visitors to CDI: Peceli Kinivuwai from Fiji’s Soqosoqo
Duavata Ni Lewennanua (SDL) party visited CDI in June to discuss
recent political developments in Fiji. Peceli was a participant in
CDI’s 2007 Political Party Development course.
Jim Della-Giacoma from the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum,
a program of the Social Science Research Council in New York,
visited CDI in May to discuss areas of common interest,
particularly in regards to the South Pacific.
Click on this link for more detail on our website:
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Secondment of Solomon Islands Parliamentary Official
http://www.cdi.anu.edu.auhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/.asia_pacific_region/2007-08/2008_05_AP_PRO_PPD.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/.solomon_islands/2007-08/2008_06_SI_Parl_Secondment_NSW.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/_further_activities/2008_FA_Visitors.htm
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CDI Newsletter | August - September �
As part of CDI’s ongoing engagement with Indonesia’s House of
Representatives, the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, Republik Indonesia
(DPR-RI), CDI brought together Indonesian and Australian
parliamentarians actively involved in committee work in Jakarta in
July 2008. The two-day Forum involved Members of the DPR’s Komisi I
(Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defense, Communication and
Information) and the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT).
The Forum was opened by the Deputy Speaker of the DPR-RI, H.E.
Mr Muhaimin Iskandar. The Indonesian participants were led by the
Chairman of Commission I, Mr Theo L. Sambuaga, and included Mr
Abdillah Toha, Chairman of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary
Relations (BKSAP), and Mr Sidarto Danusubroto, Vice-Chairman of
Commission I. The Australian parliamentarians attending the Forum
were:
Senator Michael Forshaw (Australian Labor Party, NSW) - Chair,
JSCFADT;
The Hon David Hawker MP (Liberal Party, Member for Wannon) -
Deputy Chair, JSCFADT;
Mr Michael Danby MP (Australian Labor Party, Member for
Melbourne Ports) - Chair, Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee,
JSCFADT;
The Hon Arch Bevis MP (Australian Labor Party, Member for
Brisbane) - Chair, Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence
and Security, and Chair, Defence Sub-Committee, JSCFADT;
The Hon Philip Ruddock MP (Liberal Party, Member for Berowra) -
Member, JSCFADT;
The Hon Andrew Robb MP (Liberal Party, Member for Goldstein) -
Member, JSCFADT;
Dr John Carter - Secretary, Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee,
JSCFADT.
The aim of the Forum was to facilitate discussions between
Indonesian and Australian parliamentarians with an interest in the
bilateral relationship on matters of common interest, whilst giving
members the opportunity to learn about parliamentary practice in
both parliaments.
The theme of the Forum was ‘Parliament and its role in promoting
regional cooperation’. The first day of the program was devoted to
presentations and discussions on the political scene in Indonesia
in the lead-up to next
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1 - (l to r): Prof Ben Reilly – CDI Director | Dr John Carter |
The Hon. Philip Ruddock MP | HE Mr Bill Farmer AO – Australian
Ambassador to Indonesia | Mr Abdillah Toha | The Hon Arch Bevis MP
| The Hon David Hawker MP | HE Mr H.R Agung Laksono – Speaker of
the DPR-RI | Senator Michael Forshaw | Mr Michael Danby MP | The
Hon Andrew Robb MP | Mr Theo L. Sambuaga | Mr Quinton Clements –
CDI Deputy Director. 2 - Senator Forshaw and Mr Laksono exchange
gifts.3 - Deputy Speaker of the DPR-RI, H.E. Mr Muhaimin Iskandar,
opens the Forum on July 2. Indonesian Delegates at the Forum.4 -
The Forum in session 2 July 2008.
year’s parliamentary and presidential elections. These
discussions underlined just how far Indonesia has come in
consolidating its democracy over the past decade. For the
Australian participants, a number of whom were on their first visit
to Indonesia, this proved to be a valuable exercise in building
understanding.
The second day focused on the role played by the respective
committees in the policy making process. The keynote address was
delivered Dr Rizal Sukma, Deputy Executive Director, Centre for
Strategic & International Studies. Following sessions centered
on the practical work of committees – how commissions in the DPR
operate, their role, the issues they face; and similar issues in
regards to the Australian committees. This included discussion on
the way committee inquiries, such as those undertaken by Australian
committees, feed into the policy making process and contribute to
public awareness and debate on
CDI Convenes 3rd Indonesia-Australia Parliamentary Committees
Forum
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4
http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au
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CDI is also helping the Queensland Parliament to build its
relationship with the National Parliament of PNG as part of the new
twinning arrangements between the two parliaments. During the
conference, Mr Clements and the PNG delegation met with the Speaker
of the Queensland Parliament, The Hon. Mike Reynolds AM MP, and the
Deputy Clerk, Mr Michael Reis, to discuss a range of initiatives to
be undertaken as part of the twinning arrangement.
Click on this link for more detail on our website:
CDI Newsletter | August - September �008 �
national issues. Such an examination proved useful for the
Indonesian parliamentarians as a potential new avenue for input
into the policy making process.
For the Australian parliamentarians, the forum provided an
opportunity for an open and frank exchange on major issues facing
the Australia-Indonesia relationship, including the Lombok treaty,
migration, security cooperation, and Asia-Pacific regionalism. As
many meetings between the two parliaments take place in more formal
settings, this was a particularly valuable opportunity for both
sides. The
continued from page 4
CDI supports Australasian Study of Parliament Group Activities
CDI Deputy Director Quinton Clements participated in the annual
Australasian Study of Parliament Group (ASPG) conference at
Parliament House in Brisbane, Queensland from 10 to 12 July 2008.
The conference theme was Parliament and the People: Participation,
Representation and Engagement. A large group of Australian and New
Zealand current and former parliamentarians, parliamentary
officials, journalists and academics attended the conference, and
CDI sponsored the attendance of two parliamentarians and two
officers from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to this conference. They
were:
Hon. Jamie Maxtone-Graham MBE MP, Member for Angalimp-South
Waghi & Parliamentary Leader of the PNG Country Party, National
Parliament of PNG;
Hon. Hilary Laris, Member for Tsitalato Constituency, Autonomous
Region of Bougainville House of Representatives;
Mr Pais Otima, Research Officer, Committee Secretariat,
Autonomous Region of Bougainville House of Representatives; and
Mr Simon Ila, Deputy Clerk, National Parliament of PNG.
As part of an arrangement with the ASPG and the Queensland
Parliament, CDI also sponsored a two week attachment program for Mr
Otima and Mr Ila with the Queensland Parliament following the
conference.
CDI continues to support the ASPG in its goal of actively
pursuing engagement with the parliaments of the Pacific by
sponsoring the participation of Members of Parliament and
parliamentary officers from Pacific Island countries in the group’s
annual conferences and associated programs. Prior to 2008, we
sponsored delegations from Solomon Islands and Fiji in 2006 to the
ASPG conference in New Zealand, and in 2007 CDI sponsored the
attendance of delegations from PNG, Bougainville and Solomon
Islands at the ASPG conference in Adelaide, as well as the
participation of two parliamentary officers in a two week
attachment program with the South Australian, Commonwealth and ACT
parliaments.
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At the ASPG Annual Conference (l to r): Mr Quinton Clements | Mr
Simon Ila | Hon. Hilary Laris MP | Hon. Mike Reynolds AM MP | Hon.
Jamie Maxtone-Graham MBE MP | Mr Pais Otima | Mr Michael Reis.
Pais Otima and Simon Ila on their 2 week attachment program with
the Queensland Parliament.
final session focused on the ways that the Indonesian and
Australian parliaments and their respective committees can build on
the work of CDI in convening the current and previous Forums to
create an ongoing relationship, including plans for more structured
relationships in the future.
Click on this link for more detail on our website:
http://www.cdi.anu.edu.auhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/.indonesia/2008-09/2008_07_IND_3rd_Parl_Comm_Wkshp_JKT.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/.asia_pacific_region/2008-09/2008_07_PNG.BGV_PRO_ASPG_conf-second_BNE.htm
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CDI Newsletter | August - September �008 �
The Responsible Parliamentary Governance (RPG) course is one of
CDI’s major annual activities in the area of parliamentary
strengthening. An intensive two-week program that examines the
fundamental principles and doctrines underlying the practice of
responsible parliamentary governance, the course is designed for
middle-level parliamentary officials from CDI target countries in
Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.
Again convened by CDI Associate Dr Stephen Sherlock, the seventh
annual RPG course will take place at the Australian National
University (ANU) from 8 to 19 September 2008. Using the Australian
Federal Parliament as the principal example, the course covers
issues including constitutional foundations, the main activities of
parliament, and related structures for accountability and scrutiny
of administration.
As in 2007, the World Bank Institute (WBI) is sponsoring the
participation of a number of parliamentary officials from countries
outside the usual scope of CDI activities, namely Bangladesh,
Thailand and Cambodia. They will join participants from
Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Autonomous Region of
Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu at the course this year.
In addition, CDI has continued its support for the suspended
Parliament of Fiji by extending an invitation to Fijian
parliamentary staff to attend the course.
Click on this link for more detail on our website:
CDI's 2008 Responsible Parliamentary Governance Course
CDI Deputy Director Participates in ACPAC Meeting CDI Deputy
Director, Quinton Clements, attended the 2008 Australasian Council
of Public Accounts Committees (ACPAC) Mid-Term Meeting in
Adelaide.
ACPAC’s membership consists of the public accounts committee (or
its equivalent) from every jurisdiction in Australia, as well as
committees from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Solomon
Islands.
Mr Clements was involved in a colloquium concerning the
requisite conditions and institutions for a credible and effective
system of public governance, finance and oversight. He spoke on the
development of governance environments and institutions in the
Pacific region - an issue of sustained importance within the ACPAC
membership. Click on this link for more information on our
website:
Political Engineering & Ethnic Politics in the Asia-Pacific
On 20 May 2008, CDI Director Prof Benjamin Reilly gave a Crawford
School public seminar examining the optimal design of political
institutions for new democracies, particularly those facing deep
ethnic or cultural cleavages. Drawing on a book-length study of
political engineering in the Asia-Pacific region, in this seminar
Prof Reilly surveyed the different models advanced to manage the
consequences of ethnic pluralism in democracies.
In his presentation Prof Reilly fleshed out these various models
and illustrated their application in Asia-Pacific countries,
arguing that many Asia-Pacific democracies have adopted explicitly
centripetal political reforms in recent years.
Click here for more information and to view/download the video
of this seminar on the Crawford School website:
Party Politics in East Asia
CDI Director Ben Reilly is one of the contributors to a new book
on democracy in Asia, Party Politics in East Asia: Citizens,
Elections, and Democratic Development. The book, edited by Russell
Dalton, Doh Chull Shin and Yun-Han Chu and published by Lynne
Rienner Publishers, assesses the trajectory of democratization in
East Asia, offering a systematic and integrated analysis of party
system development across the region.
continued over
Forthcoming Activities
Recent Publications
http://www.cdi.anu.edu.auhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/.asia_pacific_region/2008-09/2008_09_AP_PRO_RPG.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/_further_activities/2007-08/2008_05_FA_QC_ACPAC_conf_ADL.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/_further_activities/2007-08/2008_05_FA_BR_Craw_Sem.htm
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CDI Newsletter | August - September �008 �
All suggestions and comments are welcome to [email protected]
To subscribe to CDI.News visit the CDI website
@ http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/cdinews/cdinews.htm
continued from page 6
Click on the link below to our website for further details
including how to purchase this volume online through the Lynne
Rienner Publishers Website:
The Democratic Prospect in East Asia by Carl Gershman
E-Notes | Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) USA | May
2008
Carl Gershman is the president of the National Endowment
Assessing Political Party Aid
In the latest issue of the journal Democratization, CDI Director
Ben Reilly reviews a global study of political party aid in new
democracies. The study, The Weakest Link: Aiding Political Parties
in New Democracies, by Thomas Carrothers of the Carnegie Endowment
in Washington DC, examines the burgeoning contemporary phenomenon
of political party assistance programs, and its impact upon new
democracies in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Click on this link to our website to access Prof Reilly’s review
and the Democratization Website:
Is a League of Democracies a Good Idea? by Thomas Carothers
Policy Brief No.59 | Carnegie Endowment USA | May 2008
Influential policy experts on both sides of the U.S. political
aisle are proposing a “League of Democracies” as a way for the next
administration to restore the credibility of U.S. foreign policy
priorities and put democracy promotion efforts back on track.
However, in a new policy brief, Is a League of Democracies a Good
Idea?, Thomas Carothers argues that the proposal rests on a false
assumption that democracies share sufficient common interests to
work effectively together on a wide range of global issues.
Click on this link to access this policy brief on the Carnegie
Endowment website:
for Democracy in the U.S. This essay is based on his keynote
remarks at the FPRI Asia Program’s conference on Elections,
Political Transitions and Foreign Policy in East Asia held in
Philadelphia on April 14, 2008.
Click on this link to access this essay on the FPRI website:
http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/cdinews/cdinews.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.auhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/_research/2007-08/2008_06_RES_BR_rev_Carrothers_Democratization.htmhttp://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/_research/2007-08/2008_05_RES_BR_PP_in_Easia.htmhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=20135&prog=zgp&proj=zdrlhttp://www.fpri.org/enotes/200805.gershman.democraticprospecteastasia.html
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