“Democracy foresees a government responsible solely and exclusively only to its own parliament, and through it to the people who elected it, a government that will be in its work under constant and direct oversight by the Parliament.” (Borislav Pekic)
Strong and efficient parliament has a crucial role in strengthening democracy. In many countries, the process of redefying role and functions of parliament is ongoing in order to fit into into the new political tendencies. Executive power is the main threat to the parliament. Therefore, the parliamentary committees are the best mechanism for overseeing the executive power.
The parliament should take part in developing three basic parameters that define the political activity: dialogue, institutional strenghtening and the integrity of members of the parliament (MP).
In developed democracies dialogue is a strong political instrument, and the Parliament has to work to develop it. The National Assembly is the common responsibility of the majority and the minority, and only by working together they can control the executive power.
Without strong institutions, there is no democracy, the legal system and the rule of law. The institutional mechanisms are a condition for institutional strenghtening. The integrity of MPs is formed much before their work in the Parliament, by adopting ethical principles and focusing on the public interest. Integrity of MPs is essential for country’s integrity and it has to be a platform for every request and initiatives of MPs.
Transparency is very important for democratization of any society. When there is no transparency, democracy is at loss. For that reason, the Serbian parliament should be strong and open, not only by using all powers according to the Constitution, but to open up Parliament, as a temple of democracy, for all our partners towards strengthening the rule of law. Building a state with the rule of law and human freedom is an expression of a full maturity of the state.
Therefore, the upcoming innovative course “Parliament and Democracy” organized by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Faculty of Political Sciences, UNDP and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation represents an educational form where lectures by eminent experts and practitioners and participation of pupils with different profiles will enable a high degree of efficiency in the exchange of existing knowledge and generate new one. The course will be in a form of a one semestar and it will last from 18.02. until 15.04.2015. at the Faculty of Political Science and will focus on the control and supervisory role of the highest representative body in Serbia, as well as its relationship with other branches of government and the regulatory and supervisory bodies.
The diversity of the participants of the course will provide a comprehensive insight into analyses of the parliament and its capacity. This is why this course will be attended by MPs, representatives of the professional services of parliament and other government bodies, as well as final undergraduate students of the University of Belgrade.
Participants will during this course prepare a thesis focused on deepening theoretical knowledge about parliamentarism, the comparative parliamentary practice studies, and the drafting of recommendations for improving the work of the National Assembly. These works, along with excerpts from the lectures that the participants listened to, will be published in the proceedings, which will be a good starting knowledge base for the expert public and interested citizens.
Member of Parliament, a member of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians for the fight against corruption, the National Branch of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia
Dubravka Filipovski
Published in daily newspaper Politika: 04.02.2015
Students Testimonials
Dusica JOVANOVIC, student of master studies at the Faculty of Political Science, program: Political analysis and management in politics
During the course “Parliament and Democracy” I had a really extraordinary opportunity to learn about all key elements and mechanisms of the parliamentary work, in innovative, interactive and direct manner. Renowned lecturers, as well as participants, presented a variety of approaches and perspectives in reviewing current challenges contemporary parliaments are faced with, all of which resulted in development of several new creative ideas, guidelines and recommendations for further parliamentary progress. For me personally, the most useful thing I would point out is shaping and complementing my knowledge in this area, which is among all mirrored in learning about possibilities and capacities the parliament has, must and can provide in its work, all for the purpose of adequately serving the citizens, from whom it draws its legitimacy. My impression is that exactly this kind of projects allows for sophisticated building of an interactive relationship between the representatives of parliamentary life and all participants in the course, where cooperation, the culture of dialogue, respect and mutual development is nurtured.
Milenko ELEZ, student of master studies at the Faculty of Political Science, program: Political theory, political sociology and institutions
I think the course “Parliament and Democracy” was very useful for learning about the basics and some founding principles our political system is based on. During the course, as a participant, I had a chance to learn about different opinions of people employed in various state bodies and institutions, as well as to understand how these institutions cooperate with the National Assembly. Furthermore, I learned a lot about the Parliament itself, its mechanisms and procedures, as well as normative framework in which these mechanisms operate. Lecturers and participants employed in the National Assembly helped us to a large extent in this, as they shared with us their multiannual work experience, and thus we got to know how the Parliament functions from inside. Having all that in mind, I think the course was an excellent opportunity to set new and fortify the existing basis of knowledge, which will indisputably be of great importance in our future work, education and acquiring new knowledge. I would like to thank once again to all organizers, participants, donors, who all contributed with their effort to organize this course, and thus I hope that future will bring more similar education courses, tailored in this manner.
