THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Inter-linking of democratic governance and human development has helped Kerala to develop a model on its own and make it a case study for the past three decades,observed Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Global Director of the Democratic Governance of UNDP and former Cabinet Minister of South Africa here on Friday. She also said that the UNDP was keen to partner with Kerala on e-governance programme.Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on ‘Innovations in Governance for Inclusive Development: Kerala Experience’,organised by the Centre for Development Studies here on Friday, Geraldine Fraser said that governance is not a techno-economic fix and is deeply political also and it is the people and communities which are central to it. “Kerala has a unique track-record of democratic governance. With the highest rate of literacy in the country,the state has invested a lot for the education of women. When you are investing for women,you are investing in the community,” she said. In changing times,so many factors would have an implication in the improvement of democratic governance such as unprecedented urbanisation, role of technology, development of knowledge hubs and climatic change. “The public access to governance can be improved in the contemporary context through e-governance,” she said. “It is estimated that 85% of the people in Kerala have access to mobile phones. A system to access various public utility services will pay off well. The UNDP is keen to partner in e-governance on scales for best practices,” she said.“Kerala is people’s own state and it is the people which had made it a God’s own country,” she opined and said that she was looking at Kerala in a different way even when she was fighting for the freedom of South Africa and later as a minister in the home country. She was all praise for the transparent ways of functioning of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by taking up the Mass Contact programme and webcasting of his office. “I actually assured personally today and was convinced that what I saw was not a mirage,” she said.Inaugurating the seminar, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that democracy has been the strength of governance in India and the diversity of people and the high sense of pride in individualism makes any other form of government totally unsuitable.“Faster rates of growth cannot be achieved unless people are able to keep the fruit of their enterprise,” Chandy noted. But to sustain such growth, in a democratic set up, the marginalised poor should be taken care of and they should not have less access to resources. The State Government seeks to combine a fast-track approach to decision making and problem solving. “We are committed to socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development of Kerala, and that too in a faster pace,” Chandy said.In his presidential address,State Planning Board vice chairman K M Chandrasekhar said that democratic governance has become a creed in India. “Democracy has matured in Kerala with two political fronts and a mechanism for consultations,” he said.John Samuel, Global Democratic Advisor and Head of Global Programme on Governance Assessments,UNDP, who gave the introductory address,noted that people in 80 countries including in India,US and Egypt have come out in the streets.“There is more and more demand and the expectations of the people have changed. A right to access is important.The context of governance has changed,” he said. CDS Director Prof P Balakrishnan welcomed the gathering and Prof K J Joseph proposed a vote of thanks.
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