Issue 173

 

LI President meets African liberal MPs, supports ADR campaign


In the framework of the Conference of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean (ALDEPAC) LI President Hans van Baalen met in Bujumbura, Burundi with liberal parliamentarians from all over Africa. Under the title “Conciliation in Africa through Democratic Governance” the members of ALDEPAC assessed the potentials for transformation of African countries into open liberal democratic societies.  The power-sharing models of Zimbabwe and Kenya were analyzed as precedents that don't provide democratic governance in mid or long term . Among the prominent speakers were Guy Verhofstadt , ALDE leader, Moses Mzilla, Deputy Foreign Minister of Zimbabwe and Louis Michel, former European Commissioner for Development. Liberal International President, accompanied by Secretary General Emil Kirjas and Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder, addressed the Convention of Alliance Democratique pour le Renouveau (ADR), Burundian LI member, at which over 700 delegates formally promoted their leader Alice Nzomukunda as candidate for the June Presidential elections. Wearing white gloves she committed herself to a liberal and “clean presidency of Burundi”.

 

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Liberals victorious in Dutch elections


The Dutch city council elections on Wednesday saw important liberal victories for LI Full Members VVD and D66. The Dutch liberal parties were seen as the victors of the elections, with the VVD being the second biggest party gaining 14.9% of the electoral vote (13.8% in 2006) and D66 increasing its share to 8.1% (2.8% in 2006). D66 also saw a near five-fold increase of their number of council seats from 141 to 525, while VVD increased its number from 1166 to 1385. The populist Freedom Party of Geert Wilders only ran in two cities, and got big popular support. The Freedom Party became the biggest party in the city of Almere, and was voted the second biggest party in The Hague. Liberal International President and VVD leader in the European Parliament Hans van Baalen was satisfied with the good liberal results: “VVD is back, and will play a vital role in the councils and nationally after the upcoming general elections on June 9th. I commend D66 with their excellent result, which creates a strong liberal position in the Netherlands. I recognize that Wilders had success in Almere and The Hague. There should not be a cordon sanitaire. The best way to fight populists is to force them to take responsibility in office. We can defeat them if we are prepared to fight them instead of trying to ignore or stigmatize them”.

 

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Liberals discuss liberalism East of Europe

A strong Liberal International delegation attended a Berlin conference on the EU's Eastern Partnership program. Hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty in cooperation with ELDR and ALDE-PACE, liberals from the EU and Eastern Partnership countries Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Belarus discussed a liberal approach for the very east of Europe. The Liberal International delegation consisted of Vice President on the Bureau Cristian David, Treasurer Silver Meikar, as well as LI staff members Mark Thiessen and Amanda Sundell. Mr. David commented on the successful conference: “The conference was a good opportunity to underline the interest of the liberal family for the EU Eastern neighborhood as well as the importance we attach for their increased presence as a support tool for the democratization and development of the area. Starting from the point that EaP is more than a EU membership 'waiting room' and that each specific country involved should have its own 'tailor-made' way, the conclusions of the debates highlighted that the liberal values of individual freedom, rule of law and free trade should stay as core elements of future progress strategies.”

 

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CALD conference on Education

Following Liberal International Congress on “Education for 21st century”, the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), LI Cooperating Organisation, organized a Conference on “Choice and Excellence in Education” on 1-3 March in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Speakers from most CALD member parties, alongside 2 Senators from the governing Democratic Party of Japan and experts from India and Pakistan, debated on issues on the importance of public education in the human rights approach, the challenge of enforcing the right to education, the recognition of education as essential in the exercise of all human rights, and the mutual support between education and the human rights development.  Robert Browne, LI Vice President on the Bureau said “Poor or inappropriate education, whether by accident or design, condemns its victims to a form of slavery, and to exploitation by employers, bureaucrats and governments ... It is the responsibility of us as liberals to harness this resource and allow it to spread throughout the world, carefully differentiated by each individual whom it is passed on to.”

 

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ALDE hosts meeting on liberalism in Kosovo and Serbia


This week the ALDE group and LI Bureau member Jelko Kacin (Slovenia, LDS), representative of the European Parliament for relations with Serbia, hosted a public hearing on liberalism in Kosovo and Serbia, 'Breaking the Boycott and Self-isolation'. Participants included Minister Nenad Rasic and party leader  Slobodan Petrovic of LI Observer Member Independent Liberal Party (SLS) from Kosovo and European Affairs Committee President for LI Observer Member Serbian Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Pavicevic. Mr. Kacin stressed that: 'Kosovo needs assistance and all parties should strive to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem'. Mr Kacin also emphasised the crucial role played by the SLS in stabilising political relations between the Serbian and Albanian communities in Kosovo. Discussing the recent excellent result for SLS in the Kosovo local elections, that support for SLS and its policy of cooperation with Kosovo institutions is growing, and that Brussels plays a decisive role in facilitating institutional cooperation in Kosovo. Furthermore, agreement was reached on the importance of the role for Kosovar and Serbian liberals in creating a stable relationship between their societies.

 

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DPP stronger after by-election

Saturday 27 February, Taiwan held a legislative by-election and LI Full Member The Democratic Progressive Party won three of the four seats respectively in Taoyuan, Chiayi and Hsinchu. Bi-khim Hsiao, LI Vice President on the Bureau, achieved the best result ever for DPP in Hualien County,  a traditional KMT stronghold. After winning all three by-elections in January 2010 and performing well in the county and city elections in December 2009, the by-elections became crucial for DPP to win back more supporters' confidence. “The DPP has been dedicated to listening to the voices of 'grassroots' people,” said Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, DPP chairwoman. Saturday's results do not affect the KMT's majority in the Legislative Yuan, but are clear indicator of the growing support for DPP. The defeat “is a major warning for the KMT,” said Taiwan President Ma, who also serves as KMT chairman. Resent opinion polls have shown public confidence in DPP Chairwoman Tsai standing at 46 percent, while President Ma only enjoyed a 29 percent rating.

 

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Singapore Democratic Party’s 30th Anniversary, followed by imprisonment


LI Member the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Last Sunday, SDP organised a special celebration entitled “An Evening of Dazzle with the Democrats”. “This is a celebration of the triumph of the spirit of the Singapore Democratic Party. It is the triumph of courage in the face of persecution, the triumph of grit and determination over adversity,” said Dr Chee Soon Juan, the SDP Secretary-General. The celebration included leaders and representatives of the various opposition parties such as Singapore People's Party, National Solidarity Party, Reform Party, and the PKMS as well as from the Australian, French, Thai, and US foreign missions. However, only two days after the commemoration of SDP's 30th anniversary, Mr Gandhi Ambalam, Dr Chee Soon Juan, and Ms Chee Siok Chin have been imprisoned again. They are serving a one-week imprisonment after they were found guilty for attempting to participate in a procession during the WB-IMF meeting in September 2006. The three SDP leaders recently served a one-week jail term for distributing flyers that were critical of the PAP Government.

 

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INLW Issues 21st Century Liberal Women’s agenda

LI Full Member International Network of Liberal Women (INLW) this week released their report on fifteen years of the Beijing Declaration (1995), and also their policy platform for a 21st Century Liberal women's agenda, in which they propose increasing education, health, opportunities for women, and renewing international efforts to protect women of all ages from exploitation and violence world-wide. An INLW delegation is attending the 54th Commission on the Status of Women from the 1-12th of March at the United Nations in New York: INLW Secretary General Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk notes that “At this conference we are critically looking at the situation of women and girls all over the world. What has been achieved in gender equality? And more important which rights of women still need working on? And how will we ensure the empowerment of women in societies so that they can work for a more prosperous and democratic world? The Liberal principles should be available for women and men equally.”

 

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