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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]

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


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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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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.


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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


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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http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au

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.


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


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.


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


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.


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.

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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


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


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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