Elected representatives from the Oregon state legislature visited the Maldives this week to hold workshops and discussions with the country’s parliament.
State Senator Jackie Dingfelder and State Representative Ben Cannon, both US Democrats, met with the media on Wednesday afternoon to explain their trip to “share experience” of working across party political lines to legislate effectively.
“We’ve heard concerns about the need for a stronger and more independent judiciary, we’ve heard about the need for independent non-partisan staff for parliament, and we’re heard about the need for greater transparency, and a more robust civil society, NGOs, media, and schools,” said Cannon.
The pair said they were “particularly struck” by the Youth Parliament held yesterday at Bandos Island Resort and Spa, where 50 young people have been “engaging and learning what it means to engage issues peacefully in a parliamentary setting.”
“Our goal [in the Maldives] is to share our understanding that under the system of separation of powers that the Maldivian constitution presents, each branch of government has a responsibility to help govern the country, not merely to undermine other branches of government,” Cannon said.
Practically, Dingfelder explained that the two hoped to bring a combined 14 years of experience in legislature to a discussion “of what does it means to work across party lines.’
“We are also talking [with MPs] about implementing and monitoring legislation – both of us work in committees, we’ve worked to pass climate change legislation and been successful at getting through large bills in a bipartisan manner, and following up to make sure legislation is implemented.”
A focus of the discussions, Dingfelder said, would “also be relationship building.”
“We’ve heard that not a not of legislation has been getting through because of fighting – this happens all over the world, it happens in the States, and it certainly happens at a state level.”
One technique for passing bills through a heavily-partisan legislature, she explained, was “to find out what is important to the other legislator. Find out what they would like to see, and come to a compromise in the middle. I start by saying ‘What your end goal?’, instead of: ‘Here’s what I want to do’.”
It was important, she said, for an elected legislator “to be a good listener and hear the other point of view, because if you go in with a closed line saying ‘It’s my way or the highway’, then it makes it harder to reach a compromise.”
Often, she explained, the end goals of both sides were same, and the differences “just about how to get there.”
“Put the campaign aside during session”
Cannon observed that it was important for legislators “to be willing to put the campaign aside – at least for a time.”
“I run every two years, that’s a lot of campaigning,” he said. “But for those six months we are in session, it cannot be primarily about the next elections. You have to believe that your adversaries are also working to further the best interests of the country.”
That, he said, did not mean the campaign goal disappeared – “it doesn’t go away in a democracy, but at least for a time our responsibility is to govern effectively.”
He noted that democracy in the Maldives was old two years old, “and it takes time to build the habits and institutions of effective governance. In the US it has taken us 230 years and we’re still at it. We have not perfected it.”
Many of the challenges facing legislators in the Maldives were the same as those still faced in the US, Cannon noted.
“Each point raised you can say about our own system. [Democracy] is a messy and conflict-ridden process, but we are hopeful that the people of the Maldives will give this experiment the time it needs to prove it is better than the alternatives.”
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There is no middle ground when the opposition wants to see the government fail at any cost, the same old oligarchy who ran the dictatorship has too much power still.
sound advice which we all (the competent ones) already know, but this must be just ceremonial.
I think the Majlis members are all forgetting that we are a Muslim country and the US is a Christian country. Their law is based on seperation of religion and judiciary while ours laws are from religion.
This is how non-muslims influence our education and law system. It all comes in the name of good faith, but the fact is thousands of Maldivian children are less religious and more careless about moral values because our governments have been for years asking non-muslims to help us change our education system and laws.
Knowing that majority of the majlis are more influential through money in their pockets, means that the idea of them being honest to these non-muslim in making sure that they know that teaching of Islam to children is not a subject for negotiation. Many politicians and majlis members suck up to Western country diplomats or envoys. They downgrade their Muslim identity in order to please the West and show how "cool" they are.
People should elect religious Muslims from religious parties or even independent people who are down to earth and not looking to please others. They only need to fear Allah. Ask any of these candidates one question.. "Why do they fear Allah?"
The reason given should tell you if they are just faking it or not. Anyone can say we fear Allah or we are ofcourse Muslim and we ofcourse pray five times a day, etc. But why and what is their goal in life for the sake of Islam?
Be smart, because politicians have learnt from the west, sneaky ways to answer your question without actually giving the actual reply you are looking for. If they dont give a good answer, demand it. This is your right!
Muad , this comes quite rich , specially when Sandhaanu/Zaki is representing a democratically ELECTED government , who only could overcome the tyranny from previous regime by the help of the "west" Maldivians have been suffering repression and a paralyzed parliament for the past 30 yrs where were the so called "good Muslim countries" when it came to helping us over the years. Look all around Maldives, in male' : IGMH , Kalaafaanu School, Thajudheen School,Giyaasudheen School, In Hulhu-Male' : Lale Int. School (Formerly Fareedhiyya School) to name a few were all donated or given soft loans from the "west" while the only namely structure in Maldives given by a Muslim country was the Islamic center. also WHO ( also representing west donors) give Maldives several tonnes of subsidized Wheat, Flour and Sugar and lifted levies on Maldivian Exports since early 1960's . not to mention WHO also has repetedly given thousands of Vaccines to Maldives FREE over the past decades, making our Newborns safer. So let me sum it up the wests represents the biggest share of tourism, fishing exports and donor help , but we "should follow middle eastern policy ?" for what so we can maybe strive to get to the low levels of literacy and life expentancy and human rights of Afghanistan ?
PS: it was the western society of- Amnesty Int that advocated for Nazaki zaki when he was in prison, this was also mentioned in Geneva UN Human rights Council (another western entity) I do not recall a single press release or announcement from any Arabic Country jumping in defense of Maldivian human rights please feel free to correct me.
Guys. You don't need a western or Muslim country to dictate terms and run the country....why can't you stand on your own feet with own culture and religion.
Well put odithan.
oditaan do u know we shud give water to the chicken b4 we make him our yummy dinner hehe 😉 wot happens after dinner is the chicken gets digested in our intestine and finally end as poops and after few years we also become like poops and disappear from the face of the earth when our physical body expires to hold the spiritual body and after than imagine wot happens to the chicken eaters! very likely they b punished i guess hehe i dont know really! wotever happens sure i wont feel very happy in a situation like that if i have eaten chiken like dat though chicken can b quite tasty (note chicken means in this context humans) (eating chicken = eating human = stealing and sucking the blood out of the innocent blood of poor helpless humans aroung the globe) 😉
Communism is better!
There is a seminar for promoting communism in early future.
Hope it gets publicity.