Commonwealth to focus on democracy & devpt
By Sharon S. Tibenda
13th Dec 2010
William Hague
British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the British Parliament last week that his government plans to ‘reinvigorate the Commonwealth’, Uganda Correspondent can reveal.
In a statement, Mr. Hague said “…Her Majesty’s Government have undertaken to strengthen the United Kingdom’s relationship with the Commonwealth and to ensure that the United Kingdom is closely involved in plans to reinvigorate this unique organisation”.
He said the purpose of his statement was to inform the House about the Government’s reasons and objectives for the plans. The Commonwealth, Mr. Hague said, “…is as important to the United Kingdom as ever. The Coalition Agreement [between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats] sets out a vision to strengthen the Commonwealth as a focus for promoting democratic values and development”.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will lead a co-ordinated approach to help the Commonwealth achieve its potential. “…Our relationship with the Commonwealth has been primarily based on its history, values and common bonds. But the modern Commonwealth, including countries that were never British colonies, has been transformed. Today’s Commonwealth embraces almost two billion people, and represents all of the world’s major faiths”, Mr. Hague said.
The Commonwealth, Hague added, “…provides for numerous smaller nations which may feel that their voice is lost in the wider United Nations structure and who find the more informal Commonwealth setting an ideal place to be heard”.
He further said that the “…Commonwealth of the 21st century should stand for democracy, development, and human rights, and act as a recognised force for good on the issues of our times. In the words of the Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty the Queen, the Commonwealth is indeed “the face of the future”.
Reacting to Mr. Hague’s statement, a consistent Ugandan critic of the Commonwealth however told Uganda Correspondent that, “…in theory, the Commonwealth is expanding and getting stronger. In practice however, it is dead! The UK has for example put a 21,000 cap on the number of “Non-EU” citizens, meaning Commonwealth citizens, who will be allowed to enter the UK to study and work each year”.
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