Liberal Forum Pakistan

Conference

Of

Council of Asian Liberal and Democrats

Manila Philippines

Purpose of Visit:                    To attend the conference on Asian Liberal Parties in Power, Getting there, Remaining there to and participate in executive committee meeting of CALD

Visited by:                              Faiz M Kakar Member Board Liberal Forum Pakistan

Background

Council of Asian Liberal and Democrats CALD is Asian Regional Organization of liberal parties and like minded parliamentarians and individuals.  All the political groups of liberal thoughts of the region are members of the organization and its secretariat is Manila based Philippines. CALD convenes its executive body meeting with continuous interval and try to conduct a conference as well. In the month of June 2010 the event was carried out with the following concept paper:

A specter is haunting the world – the specter of liberalism.  In many parts of the world today, liberal political parties are increasingly becoming prominent, either as a party in power or as part of the governing coalition.  From Europe, to Latin America, to Asia, liberal parties are winning elections, forming governments or entering into governing coalitions.

In Europe, liberal networks, parties and politicians are politically significant at both regional and state levels.  At the regional level, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a network of liberal democratic Members of the European Parliament (MEP), is the third largest political group in the regional law-making body.  At the state level, the recent experiences of Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and United Kingdom attest to the increasing political importance of liberal parties.  The Free Democratic Party of Germany had significant gains in the last elections, and is now part of the governing coalition with five ministers from amongst its ranks.  In Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, leader of the liberal political party Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti (Left, Liberal Party of Denmark) was elected as prime minister last year, paving the way for the government’s adoption of liberal economic reforms.  Results of the latest city council elections in the Netherlands showed that liberal parties VVD and D66 were the biggest gainers.  In the United Kingdom, the Liberal Democrats had a strong showing in the recent elections, and holds considerable political clout in the current parliament.

Latin American liberal parties have also witnessed significant advances.  In Chile, parties with sound liberal economic views and progressive social politics alternate in power to counter populism.  At present, liberals are also substantially represented in the cabinet of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.  In another part of the continent, Costa Ricans showed increased support for liberal values when they voted for Otto Guevara, leader of Partido Movimiento Libertario (Libertarian Movement Party) and Chairman of Red Liberal de America Latina (RELIAL).  Liberal presence in the Costa Rican Congress has also grown considerably, making them better equipped to contest the leadership of the executive branch in 2014.

Asia, however, manifests the most significant growth of liberal parties in recent years.  The Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan paved the way for this development when it became the first ruling party after the Koumintang in 2000.  It stayed in power for eight years, and is now the country’s major opposition party.  Its recent victories in county, city and by-elections may be interpreted as an indication of Taiwanese people’s willingness to reinstate the party to power in the near future.  In Thailand, the Democrat Party’s return to power in 2008 indicated the country’s desire to restore political stability after the ouster of populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006.  Despite the debilitating, and sometimes violent, protest rallies of the red shirts in the past months, the survival of the Democrat-led government may be construed as an indication of the support of Thailand’s silent majority to the party.  Indonesia, despite its tumultuous recent past, has been a shining example of democratic government under the helm of President Susilo Bambang Yudyohono, leader of the Partai Democrat (Democratic Party).  The party has the largest number of seats in the People’s Representative Council, constituting more than a quarter of the total.  In 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan finally came to power after years of contesting the dominance of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.  It gained the largest number of seats in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, securing the prime ministerial post for its leader Yukio Hatoyama.  Most recently, the Liberal Party won the Presidency in the Philippines, as well as a significant number of seats in Congress and in local governments.  This signals the creation of a truly liberal government in the country after almost half a century.

In other parts of the continent, liberal parties have political clout because of their membership in the governing coalition.  In Malaysia, Barisan NasionalParti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian People’s Movement Party), a party that subscribes to racial harmony, social justice, economic equality, political democracy, and cultural liberalism.  The Liberal Party of Sri Lanka continued its support for the ruling party at recent Presidential and Parliamentary elections, and was able to secure a seat in the Sri Lankan Parliament through the national list system.  Not to be forgotten is Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (National Awakening Party), the party of the late Indonesian President Gus Dur, which is also part of the Indonesian governing coalition led by the Democratic Party. (National Front), the ruling coalition, includes

While there is indeed a rise of liberal parties in the Asian continent, the role played by opposition liberal parties should not be discounted.  In countries such as Cambodia, Singapore and Burma, where democracy, human rights and the rule of law are routinely violated, these parties serve as a beacon of democratic and liberal principles by serving as opposition parties. The Sam Rainsy Party of Cambodia, for one, has been a major opposition party in the mainland Southeast Asian country, controlling almost one-fifth of the seats in the parliament.  Despite Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s attempts to politically intimidate the party’s members by stripping of parliamentary immunity and numerous court cases, the party has remained steadfast in its commitment to transform the Cambodian political landscape towards a more democratic direction.  In Singapore, the Singapore Democratic Party has managed to survive as a party despite the debilitating court cases and convictions which almost push some of its most prominent members into bankruptcy.  For party members, they look at this government-orchestrated legal harassment as the price that they have to pay to sow the seeds of democracy in the city-state.  National Council for the Union of Burma, on the other hand, was created in the aftermath of the ruling military junta’s refusal to recognize the results of the 1990 elections.  From then until now, it has been at the forefront of the struggle to free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to democratize the military state.  In Indonesia, the vibrancy of liberalism and democracy in Southeast Asia’s biggest country can be gleaned in the presence of Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle), the party headed by former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, as a major opposition party.

The success of Asian liberal parties in attaining power, or in remaining relevant as an opposition, commences with a thorough assessment of the political environment, which is of course affected by legal, economic, socio-cultural and historical factors.  The political context presents opportunities and constraints that political parties must recognize, examine and act upon.  Any aspiring political party, therefore, should come up with an accurate reading of the political environment in order to design effective campaign strategies, and consequently, to win elections.

Campaigning for elections has always been one of the most important functions of political parties.  Parties need to mobilize their respective constituencies to vote for their chosen candidates, and in some instances, to participate actively in the electoral process.  Winning elections is the first order of business for parties, as they can obviously not implement their programs of government if they did not succeed in the polls.  While the factors which affect electoral success vary from one country to another, there are best practices and discernible trends that may assist parties in attaining electoral victory.

Electoral success marks the transition from being outside of government, to being part of it.  The immediate issues and problems that confront incoming and new governments are multifold; from learning the mechanics of government, building or strengthening coalitions, to managing expectations and maintaining popular support.  How to strike a balance between political realities and expediencies, and the necessity of implementing reforms and remaining faithful to the party’s program of government, is an issue that parties need to consider carefully.

Forming governments is only the more immediate issue that a party in power has to address, the more difficult tasks are how to govern effectively, and how to maintain and preserve the government amidst various forces that threaten its existence.  How the government performs, of course, has an implication for the ruling party’s capability to sustain constituency support, to maintain political stability, and to preserve its hold to power.  Governing effectively, however, becomes more difficult when there are numerous forces which may block reforms like an overbearing opposition, a compromised judiciary, a restless military, a recalcitrant bureaucracy, a continuing insurgency, an ingrained culture of patronage, among others.

In recognition of the salience of these issues, the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), hosted by the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP), and with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), has organized the conference “Asian Liberal Parties: Getting There, Remaining There” in Manila, the Philippines, June 27-July 1 2010.  The objectives of the conference were as follows:

The conference was divided into four sessions, with the first two sessions dealing with how political parties attain political power through success in elections, and the last two on the dynamics attending the formation, maintenance and preservation of governments.  These sessions were capped by a synthesis, where the major issues and recommendations were summarized and elaborated.

The following major topics were the main themes of the conference:

This conference aimed to take stock of Asian liberal parties’ experiences regarding the various issues and concerns that they face, whether inside or outside of government.  In particular, the conference focused with parties which have been, or currently in power, either as a sole governing party or as part of the coalition, since their emergence is relatively a recent development in this part of the world. By discussing issues of practical relevance such as launching successful campaigns, building coalitions, and forming and sustaining governments, this conference hoped to assist Asian political parties in realizing their common goal of obtaining and preserving political power.

I was supposed to be in Manila on the cited date and to attend the welcome dinner and to attend the opening session of secretariat of CALD and new office of FNF in Philippines. Hence reached at the same date and attend the dinner and opening session of new office of FNF. In that dinner I met with all liberal friends and discussed the different issues.  The overall conference was very interesting and successful. I attended all the sessions and placed my inputs.

The meeting of executive committee was also fruitful however I realized that the decision about the abolishing the future youth group may needed to re visit because the organization of young liberals is active at regional level and as well as at europium level. Hence it would be unfair to close the door of opportunities for our youth however we could recommend suggestions for proper mechanism of our future youth group. Therefroe I would like to request all the board members of Liberal Forum Pakistan to revisit the decision about future youth group in our last board meeting.