TheParliamentarian Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth 2015 | Issue One XCVI | Price £13 Moving forwardsTowards Sustainable Development Goals PLUS Cross-border terrorism: British Columbia and Focus on Sabah Aboriginal Foreign fi ghters and the role of women ‘The Land Below representation in local threats representatives the Wind’ Australia’s PAGE 22 PAGE 26 PAGE 33 Northern Territory PAGE 34 Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 1 24/03/2015 15:42:54 CPA STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The CPA exists to connect, develop, promote and support Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance, and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 2 24/03/2015 15:42:54 Calendar of Events Confirmed as of 4 March 2015 2015 April 8-10 April Codes - Benchmarks Meeting, Victoria, Australia 8-10 April Parliament and Media Law Conference, Andhra, Pradesh, India 27-3 May Mid-Year Executive Committee Meeting, Sabah, Malaysia May 4-6 May Regional Trade Workshop with World Trade Organisation – Mauritius 4-8 May International Executive Training Course for Parliamentary Staff – World Bank and McGill University, Canada 17-21 May 26th Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar, Dhaka, Bangladesh The publication of a Calendar of CPA events is a service intended to foster the exchange of views between Branches and the encouragement of new ideas. Further information may be obtained from the Branches concerned or the Secretariat. Branch Secretaries are requested to send updates of this material to the Information Officer ([email protected]) to ensure the Calendar is full and accurate. Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 1 24/03/2015 15:42:54 CONTENTS 2015: ISSUE 1 12 34 Journal of the Parliaments COMMENT MAIN ARTICLES of the Commonwealth Vol. XCVI 2015: Issue One ISSN 0031-2282 Issued by the Secretariat Inside Issues Shifting gears Celebrating BC’s of the Commonwealth Our diversity highlights our to enhance first 100 women Parliamentary Association, shared concerns Suite 700, Westminster Page 4 parliamentary Members of the House, 7 Millbank, London engagement Legislative Assembly SWIP 3JA, United Kingdom Mr Justin Bundi, Clerk of the The Honourable Linda Reid Tel: (+44-20) 7799-1460 View from the Chair Kenya National Assembly Page 26 Commonwealth Fax: (+44-20) 7222-6073 Page 12 Observance Day speech Email: [email protected] Page 6 Strengthening www.cpahq.org Post-2015 financial Publisher: View from the CWP Sustainable security Hon. Tonio Fenech MP and Hon. Mr Joe Omorodion Sustainable Development Goals Development Goals Sen. Raziah Ahmed Acting Secretary-General Page 8 and the Pacific: Page 28 New Zealand’s Front cover View from the Acting Kenya schoolroom/ persepctive All India Conference Shutterstock© Secretary-General Paul Foster-Bell MP The role of primary education Page 12 of Whips: Code of in sustainable economic conduct development Cross-border All India conference of whiips, Page 10 2014 terrorism: Foreign Printed in: England by Page 30 Warners Midlands, PLC; fighters and local New Delhi by Jainco Art India, threats and Singapore by Times Rt Hon. Keith Vaz MP Printers Private Limited Page 12 2 | The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 2 24/03/2015 15:42:58 42 SABAH SPECIAL FEATURE FOCUS ON NEWS Annual subscription (four issues) SABAH UK: £40 post free. Starts after page 32 Worldwide: £42 surface post £48 airmail Participation and the Unity in Parliamentary Price per issue empowering of diversity news: UK: £13 Hon. Datuk Dr Johnson Tee JP Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Worldwide: £14 surface post indigenous people £15 airmail Mr Michael Tatham Page II Canada, India, United Kingdom Page 34 and Australia Page 45 Opinions and comments Sabah’s tourism and expressed in articles and Benchmarks for forest conservation reviews published in The codes of conduct Hon. Datuk Joniston Bangkuai Parliamentarian are those of Hon. Dr Ken Coghill, PhD and Dr Page IV the individual contributors and Abel Kinyondo should not be attributed to the Page 38 Sabah State Secretariat of the Association. Legislative Assembly Canada’s unions: needs to move Should tax-free forwards status mean greater Hon. Dr. Edwin @ Jack Bosi public accountability? Page VI Mr Russ Hiebert, MP Page 42 The evolution of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Datuk Bernard J. Dalinting Page VIII Promoting sustainable forest management The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One | 3 Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 3 24/03/2015 15:43:02 INSIDE ISSUES OUR DIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS SHARED CONCERNS The Editor’s note Development is the focus of the Commonwealth, there are shortcoming that the CPA and He also highlights the issue issue one of The Parliamentarian many common areas of concern, parliamentarians throughout of access to natural resources. for this year. The 15-year target and much to be gained from the the Commonwealth have been “Around US$4 billion of tuna for the original Millennium sharing of knowledge amongst addressing as the SDG process is harvested in Pacific waters Development Goals (MDGs) parliamentarians. has evolved. each year. Yet only about 10% was 2015, making this an Mr Bundi links the slow Mr Foster-Bell’s article of that amount, by value, makes appropriate time to reflect on the progress on the MDGs to emphasises the importance of its way back to the Pacific progress made, and to consider the lack of engagement of New Zealand’s regional role nations – the rightful owners of the route forwards as the new parliaments in the development in the development process the resource,” he says. Sustainable Development Goals agenda. “The process along with the key role of local Development is a topic (SGDs) are finalised and agreed. remained, and still is very communities. never far from the surface Inside, Paul Foster-Bell much an executive agenda “A key strength of our in many of the articles you MP (New Zealand) and with very little engagement (if approach has been engaging will find in this issue. In her Mr Justin Bundi (Kenya) any) of parliaments,” he says. with local communities to ‘View’ the Rt Hon. Rebecca give us perspectives on the This is a point that has been develop tailor-made solutions Kadaga, MP, Chairperson of development agenda from two made very clearly in many to problems, rather than simply the Commonwealth Women very different parts of the world. CPA conferences, events imposing our plans upon others,” Parliamentarians and Speaker But, as often is the case across and workshops. It is also a he says. of the Parliament of Uganda, emphasises that gender equality is an issue for all – inequalities New Zealand is acutely aware hinder economic development of its regional role in the for everyone. Pacific “The importance of achieving gender equality cannot be over stated,” she says. “Research studies show that economic stability and growth for developing countries is greatly boosted by improved gender equality.” The ‘View’ from the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee and Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, is based on the text of a speech the Hon. Speaker made at Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day. 4 | The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 4 24/03/2015 15:43:06 INSIDE ISSUES The Sabah State Assembly The theme of Commonwealth to make,” he says. “Sabah Mr Vaz writes. “What haunts Day was ‘A Young was hugely dependent on them more, is what to do with xxx Commonwealth’ and I pick up on timber for revenue, and them if they return.” that topic in my ‘View’ – written opting for sustainable forestry That topic, along with as Acting Secretary General and management meant making financial scrutiny, empowering Director of Finance of the CPA sacrifices such as losing short- indigenous peoples, trade- – where I highlight the profound term monetary gains.” union accountability, the role “In her ‘View’ the importance of primary education These are just a few of women parliamentarians, Rt Hon. Rebecca in national development. highlights from what is an codes of conduct and much This issue of our magazine extremely broad range of else besides are all tackled Kadaga, MP, also includes a number of topics in this issue. You can inside. There is also our usual Chairperson of the articles from Sabah, Malaysia, also read a contribution selection of parliamentary which hosts the CPA Mid-Year from Chairman of the Home reports from around the CWPs and Speaker Executive Committee Meeting Affairs Select Committee in Commonwealth. of the Parliament in May. In his contribution, the United Kingdom, Rt Hon. The Parliamentarian exists Joniston Bangkuai focuses Keith Vaz MP who writes a to support the CPA in its of Uganda, makes on the state’s decision to push particularly timely article on stated purpose of developing, a point that gender forest conservation to the top of the phenomena of individuals promoting and supporting its agenda. This included making travelling overseas to fight parliamentarians and their staff equality is an issue the initially painful decision to for terrorist organisations, to identify benchmarks of good for all – inequalities forego income from logging including the major problem of governance and to implement to move towards a sustainable what to do when they return. the enduring values of the hinder economic harvest approach together with “What motivates someone Commonwealth. We trust you development for an emphasis on tourism. to leave their life in the West to will find this opening issue for “Switching from conventional fight for a group which wishes 2015 to be both interesting everyone.” logging to sustainable to establish a medieval, brutal and informative. harvesting was perhaps one caliphate thousands of miles Mr Joe Omorodion of the most difficult decisions away, is the question which Acting Secretary-General and the state government had haunts intelligence officials.” Director of Finance The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One | 5 Parliamentarian_1_2015.indb 5 24/03/2015 15:43:07 VIEW FROM THE CHAIR COMMONWEALTH OBSERVANCE DAY SPEECH This is a speech given by Dr joining the celebration of the to the centre of discourse of Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Commonwealth Observance democracy and development.