CALD, ANFREL Organize Thematic Session on Parliamentary Monitoring

“Democracy, even when enshrined in a constitution, is not self-sustaining. It requires constant, vigilant maintenance.”

These were the words of Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) Chairperson and Cambodian Senator Mardi Seng in his opening remarks at “Safeguarding Democratic Institutions through Parliamentary Monitoring” – a thematic session held on 1 November 2025 on the sidelines of the Asia Democracy Assembly (ADA).

Jointly organized by CALD and the Asia Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the session aimed to:

• highlight parliamentary monitoring models as effective frameworks for strengthening transparency, participation, and accountability through collaborative engagement between civil society and legislators;
• share lessons and innovations from regional and global experiences–including Taiwan, Philippines and Sri Lanka – in legislative oversight, political finance transparency, citizen engagement, and institutional reform;
• provide a platform for CSOs, reform-oriented legislators, and parliamentary experts to jointly reflect on challenges, opportunities, and strategies for advancing open and accountable parliaments; and
• facilitate the development of regional and cross-regional solidarity, building on shared principles and collaborative mechanisms to strengthen democratic institutions in Asia and beyond.

Taking into account these objectives, the first pair of speakers shared their thoughts on the state of parliamentary monitoring in Taiwan. Alysa Chiu from the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan described the three (3) layers of parliamentary monitoring – constitutional, digital and popular (through recall elections or social mobilizations).  Digital Rights Specialist Lulu Keng, on the other hand, expounded on the work of Citizen’s Congress Watch, particularly in light of Taiwan’s Open Government National Action Plan in 2021-2024.

The next pair of speakers from the Philippines contextualized their interventions amidst the massive corruption scandals unraveling in the country. Liberal Party of the Philippines Acting President Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada tackled the promises of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill which he pushed when he was still member of the Philippine Congress. Unfortunately, the bill still languishes in the legislature to this day.  INCITEGov’s Mardi Mapa-Suplido discussed her organization’s work regarding the process and impact of ayuda (government aid), as well as INCITEGov’s initiatives to promote data accessibility, digital accountability and civil society capacity-building.

Finally, ANFREL Chairperson Rohana Hettiarachchi described the situation in Sri Lanka when it comes to government monitoring.  He noted the importance of working with civil society in monitoring the government programs’ action plan, budget, time frame and impact. Citing his organization’s experience in monitoring elections, he argued that election commission-civil society collaboration is crucial in ensuring that promises in the election manifesto would be respected by all stakeholders.     Dr. Manjesh Rana,ANFREL Senior Program Officer – International Election Observation Missions, moderated the session – which turned out as the most well-attended thematic session in ADA 2025.    

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This post was written by CALD