The perceived supremacy of Parliament and its Members faded away with the turn of the century. Many people now question the true need for Parliament and highly paid politicians. We must look at the causes of this decline if we are to reverse it.

The causes of this global phenomenon can be grouped into two categories: first is the changes in economic form and the political ideology that have paralysed governments as they try to respond to the needs of the electorate, and the second is the growing mistrust of politicians as a result of instances corruption, the perceived erosion of standards for public life and unfair media coverage.

The past 20 years have seen plethora of autocratic regimes replaced by multiparty democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and in developing countries. Concurrent with this change, monetarism has become the near-global orthodoxy for macro-economic management. The ideology of socialism and its many variations no longer occupy the thinking of academics as the test of time has proven that countries cannot support the spiralling debt that is needed to support the rights-based social citizenship model of social services.

It is commonly accepted that the proper role of government now is to free up its resources and energy to allow for investment in its people through health, education, housing etc., and to provide a social safety net for those who are unable to provide for themselves.

This post-Keynesian era of economic management through monetary tools and a reduction in the size of the bureaucracy in the interest of not distorting the allocation of resources has had a negative effect on Parliament?s ability to respond to the cries of its citizens for short-term relief and remedies through its traditional fiscal role. As a result, citizens challenge the need for Parliament.

Citizens, like many newly elected Parliamentarians, are disillusioned owing to a misunderstanding of the roles of government and Parliament. Citizens hold Parliamentarians responsible for government, whereas under the Westminster model the function of Parliament is to ensure the government governs with the consent and confidence of the elected House. This misunderstanding is partially attributed to improperly grounded expectations created during electioneering which lead to disappointment and disconnect citizens from Parliament.

The quest for good governance has resulted in many jurisdictions adopting new financial management legislation that purports to increase transparency and accountability. Most of this legislation is drafted from a perspective of distrust and low confidence in Parliament and its Members. It replaces previous flexibility with stringent rules and guides and transfers more power to the civil service from the executive. This further impairs the role of Parliament and contributes to the questioning of our value.

The resurgence of the advocacy of direct democracy, especially through referenda, is due to public disillusionment and dissatisfaction with Parliamentarians and the institution of Parliament itself. The advocacy of the referendum as a decision-making tool, especially by Parliamentarians, is one of the contributing factors to the reduced esteem of Parliament. Parliamentary democracy and the parliamentary process are the most effective method of arriving at a national consensus through debate and simultaneous education of the electorate.

When Parliamentarians advocate moving the decision-making process out of Parliament and onto the streets, and reduce complex questions down to a ?yes? or ?no?, they are expressing a lack of confidence and trust in the legitimate process, compounding the declining image of Parliament.

Globalisation and regionalisation are both based on strong fundamentals that will ensure their prominence in the 21st Century. This new paradigm shifts how national Parliaments are able to govern and manage their borders and has significantly contributed to the low public esteem of Parliaments.

Governments have to reduce their size in order to ensure the competitiveness of the country as protectionism falls away. This means the reduction in the size of the government physically, including jobs, and the redistribution of programmes.

Secondly, globalisation has resulted in the transfer of power of national governments and Legislatures upwards to supranational and regional bodies, and downwards to local decision-making bodies. The electorate is once more disillusioned by the reduced perceived usefulness and effectiveness of National Assemblies.

Globalisation rides on the principles of competition, comparative advantages and ultimately and survival of the fittest, principles that normally have affected small island states negatively. Consequently, small states such as the Cayman Islands should not lead the charge for globalisation but accept it as an inevitable tide that we best swim with an not against if we are to retain the relevance of national governments and Parliaments. We can only hope that the surrendering of some national sovereignty will be offset by benefits.

The electorate views the institution of Parliament as inefficient and a colossal waste of time and taxpayers? money. Prior to a recent change in our standing orders all Members of parliament were allowed four hours of debate and some Members used every minute available. Parliaments around the globe need to become more efficient, including by embracing technology.

The second category of factors contributing to the declining esteem of Parliament is the climate of mistrust.

The quality of our debates in Parliament often does not flatter Parliamentarians. Mutual respect and tolerance should be shown to the opposite side as their presence enables the multiparty system to function.

The opposition should not continuously try to prevent the government from accomplishing its goals through filibustering. Attacking the personalities of the government, accusing them of oppression, the violation of human rights and corruption and the similar tendency of the governing party to portray opposition supporters as mere subversives are both wrong.

Corruption and public impropriety are major factors contributing to the loss of confidence in public institutions. Globalisation and advancement of technology has allowed wrongdoers to conceal their omission and has contributed to increase opportunity for corruption. One corrupt parliamentarian affects the reputation of all Parliamentarians.

The media, in the region, strive on sensationalism and drama and have a greater propensity to report negative news than positive. Parliamentarians must also improve our appreciation of the importance of the media and use it better.

For example, we have a tendency in the Cayman Islands to attempt to keep information from the media. This ultimately reaches them through alternative sources and therefore in many instances it lacks accuracy. It is far more advantageous to develop productive relations with the media and feed them with accurate and convenient information. The media can provide Parliamentarians with better coverage of their programmes and achievements.

@EDITRULE:Lyndon Martin is an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Cayman Islands? two smaller islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. He is a Member of the ruling United Democratic party.

This article is based on a paper presented to the 28th Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held in July in Nevis.