After last year’s CHOGM, it is now the turn of the CMAG – the Commonwealth Ministers Action Group on the Harare Declaration – to command attention, as Foreign Minister Michael Frendo was elected chairman of the group during the 27th meeting held last Friday in New York.
At the same meeting, Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar was elected vice-chairman.
The Harare Declaration of 1991 is a statement of the Commonwealth’s principles, shared values and traditions, by which member governments agreed to work together to promote democracy, good governance and fundamental human values. The CMAG was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration.
In accordance with standard procedure, the CMAG was reconstituted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government at their latest meeting in Malta last November.
The group is convened by the secretary-general and is composed of the foreign
ministers of eight Commonwealth member countries, supplemented as appropriate by one or two additional ministerial representatives from the region concerned. It currently includes the foreign ministers of Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Tanzania.
Their task is to assess
the nature of an infringement and recommend measures for collective Commonwealth action, aimed at the speedy restoration of democracy and constitutional rule. The composition, terms of reference and operation of the Group is reviewed every two years.
Since its creation, the CMAG has held numerous meetings at ministerial level, and has sent ministerial missions to Fiji, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands and The Gambia.
Pakistan in the spotlight
In its final communiqué after Friday’s meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, the CMAG has repeated its call to Pakistan to separate the office of head of state from that of chief of army staff, once again urging President Pervez Musharraf to resolve the contentious issue by 2007.
General Musharraf is both President and the operational commander of the army in the South Asian country, a fact that the CMAG says is incompatible with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Harare Commonwealth principles.
Until the two offices are separated, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be irreversible, the Group said, adding that it wanted this matter to be addressed as early as possible and not beyond the end of the current Presidential term in 2007, at the latest.
In the same statement, Ministers recorded their appreciation of Pakistan’s continued steps towards democratic reform and its positive engagement with the Commonwealth.
They welcomed the growing freedom of the media in Pakistan as well as the government’s commitment to safeguard the rights of women and minorities, supporting ongoing efforts for reform in these areas. They also encouraged collaboration with civil society.
The Group also welcomed the intention of the Pakistani government to establish a human rights commission, as well as its commitment to hold free and fair elections, in accordance with the Constitution, when the term of the current Parliament expires.