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Where legislatures may have previously acted as bastions of traditions and norms, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated transformations in parliamentary life. In many cases CPA Branches were required to undergo years of modernisation in a matter of weeks, if not instantaneously. There is now a question of whether this spirit of adaptation and innovation will continue in the medium to long-term. This session looked at innovations that can and have successfully increased the accessibility of parliaments for those people the institution represents. The session investigated links between parliamentary representation and the digital transition and the pros and cons of virtual/hybrid approaches. The session also took a holistic view of innovation and explored non-technological adaptations and approaches that have emerged during the pandemic and whether they will continue to endure. |
Hon. Om Birla is currently Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Parliament of India. He was elected as a Member of Parliament to the 16th (2014) and the 17th Lok Sabha (2019) from the Kota-Bundi, Rajasthan Constituency. He was previously elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha (Provincial Assembly) for three times from 2003 to 2014. He is the President of India Union Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Indian Parliamentary Group.
Speaker Masizole Mnqasela started his career in politics 23 years ago. For 19 years of this time he has served as an elected public representative.
From 2003 to 2009 he served as a councillor of the City of Cape Town. He was then elected as a Member of Parliament and served as Deputy Shadow Minister for Home Affairs from 2009 to 2014.
In 2014 he was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament and served as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Local Government. This Standing Committee is responsible for monitoring the performance of all 30 municipalities in the Western Cape.
In 2019 he was re-elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament and he was also elected as Speaker of the House.
Speaker Mnqasela holds a postgraduate diploma in Governance and Leadership from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). He is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Wits.
Rachel Ong is a Member of Parliament for the West Coast GRC and serves in
the Government Parliamentary Committees of Defence, Foreign Affairs and
Manpower.
She serves as the Adviser to the Telok Blangah Grassroots Organisations.
Rachel is the Chief Executive of ROHEI, a learning and consulting partner
with a team of over 50 full-time consultants, operating in Singapore and
Shanghai. ROHEI’s consultancy focuses on 3 areas: building a culture of trust
in organisations, developing trusted and relationally competent leaders, and
navigating the people aspect of change management.
Since 2015, ROHEI has been recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute
for 4 consecutive years as Top 5 Best Workplaces in Asia and Top 5 Best
Workplaces in Singapore. Beyond her work in the corporate sector, Rachel's firm conviction to see every
youth a success story has led her to birth a NGO invested in the lives of the next
generation - Trybe Ltd. She serves as the Chairman of Trybe, a youth
development entity accorded the Institute of Public Character (IPC) status.
She helped start Trybe in 2001. Today, Trybe runs 4 divisions; Singapore Boys
Hostel, Trybe Aftercare, Trybe Community Referrals as well as the Vocational
Placement and Career Development.
Rachel holds an MBA from INSEAD and Tsinghua University.
CPA Engagement, Education & Outreach Handbook for Commonwealth Parliaments
CPA Handbook on Lay Members for Commonwealth Parliaments
Centre for Innovation in Parliament (IPU)
Where Legislatures may have previously acted as bastions of traditions and norms, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated transformations in parliamentary life. In many cases, CPA Branches were required to undergo years of modernisation in a matter of weeks, if not instantaneously. There is now a question of whether this spirit of adaptation and innovation will continue in the medium to long-term.
This workshop looked specifically at innovations that have increased the accessibility of Parliaments for those people the institution represents. The session investigated links between parliamentary representation and the digital transition and at the pros and cons of virtual/hybrid approaches. The session also explored the non-technological adaptations and approaches that have emerged during the pandemic and whether they will continue to endure.
In India, technology has strengthened democracy and brought India’s democratic institutions closer to the people. While Parliament itself has become increasingly digitized, social media and mobile applications allow people to access broadcasts and information about Parliament from their mobile devices.
House visits and ‘meet-the-people’ sessions are used by Parliamentarians in Singapore to stay connected with their constituents, while targeted outreach services, vaccination dialogues, mobile health checks, and legal clinics allow Parliamentarians to provide information and services directly to constituents in their communities.
In Western Cape, virtual and hybrid sittings of the Provincial Parliament allowed parliamentary business to continue despite COVID-related restrictions. Other measures, such as holding the opening of Parliament in communities away from the parliamentary precinct, helped connect the Provincial Parliament and its Members with the people they serve, while a board game was created as a tool for raising awareness of how Parliament works.
As part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference outcomes, each workshop put forward a recommendation. The following recommendation was agreed:
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