Strengthening parliament and civil society engagement in Maldives
In a robust democracy, meaningful engagement between the elected representatives and civil society is a fundamental pillar of good governance. Civil society organisations (CSOs) can play a crucial role in working alongside the parliament, ensuring policies benefit the people, and holding governments accountable. However, numerous obstacles can impede collaboration between the CSOs and the parliament.
The challenge: What does the research say?
WFD Maldives’ assessment of the challenges that impede engagement between parliament and civil society highlights the following observations:
- The consultative process to obtain feedback on legislation lacks predictability and transparency, hindering the public’s trust. Additionally, it provides inadequate time for public’s input on policies and legislation
- Feedback on legislation needs to be accessible through a variety of communications channels rather than relying solely on parliament’s website
- Summaries of consultative processes are not made public, hindering CSOs’ ability to track progress made on their suggestions
- CSOs are insufficiently engaged while drafting policies and legislations, with engagement being inconsistent, informal, and reliant on personal networking, rather than an institutionalised process
- CSOs prefer to engage with the executive branch of the government over the parliament
Establishing CSPN: Bridging parliament and CSOs
WFD enlisted an expert to develop an engagement strategy and a registration strategy to formalise and develop a systematic method for CSOs to engage with parliamentary processes. The expert convened with CSOs and interviewed key senior officials in developing the strategies and organised a two-day workshop that brought together officials of parliament and civil society organisations (CSOs) with the goal of enhancing collaboration within the Civil Society Parliamentary Network (CSPN) Project. This project offers parliament insights into civil society, enabling both the People’s Majlis (the parliament of the Maldives) and CSOs to gain a deeper understanding of CSOs’ expectations and needs and the avenues for engagement with the parliament. The CSOs echoed the need for greater participation in the law-making process and proposed collaboration amongst themselves to engage with the parliament in a meaningful manner.
Developing a strategy to engage CSOs and the parliament
WFD supported the parliament of Maldives as it developed a strategy to effectively engage with CSOs. The strategy aims to achieve three goals:
Greater transparency and accountability: The establishment of the Civil Society Parliamentary Network (CSPN) and adoption of an engagement strategy aims to foster trust and confidence among civil society and the public, allowing stakeholders to readily verify the legitimacy and credibility of parliament's engagement efforts.
Enhanced policy engagement, dialogue, and collaboration: The strategy suggests leveraging the CSPN to include a more diverse sector, which can be activated to facilitate a more inclusive and participatory method of policymaking
Better mutual understanding between parliamentarians and the CSO sector: The CSPN functions as a central resource hub, offering parliamentarians capacity-building programs, training, and networking events. This interaction allows CSOs to gain enhanced access to pertinent information, identify policy priorities more effectively, and adapt to evolving political landscapes.
The way forward
With the strategy and CSO network in place, the CSOs will engage with the parliament on a broader institutional level, fostering collaboration on key thematic areas identified within the CSPN. Additionally, WFD is looking forward to the senior leadership of the People’s Majlis endorsing the CSPN documents that have been validated through the workshop.
