Comment: Outside perspective on a young democracy
15 Dec 2010, 12:16 PM
Ben Cannon and Jackie Dingfelder
As two legislators from the US state of Oregon, we are usually focused on the politics of our coastal state of 3.5 million people. But thanks to an initiative sponsored by the Maldivian Democracy Network and the US Embassy, we found ourselves this month half a world from home, meeting with close to 20 members of the Maldivian Parliament, the President and Vice President, NGOs, and members of independent commissions.
The visit was an opportunity for us to learn about the political process in the Maldives and to share some of our own experiences with democracy in the US.
Throughout our visit, we were impressed and heartened by the level of commitment we heard Maldivians express to making their young democracy work. We heard plenty about conflict, sometimes bitter, between the MDP and DRP, between the President and the Parliament, but over and over again we heard politicians and commissioners express a profound commitment to keeping the Maldives on a democratic path.
Three additional points stood out:
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