BackChris Field, President of the International Ombudsman Institute and Western Australian Ombudsman, was delighted and honoured, to be invited by Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Public Protector South Africa and Chair, Forum for Institutions Supporting Democracy (FISD), to deliver a Keynote Address at the Plenary Session of the FISD inaugural Virtual Conference on Constitutional Democracy. Advocate Mkhwebane is an esteemed colleague of President Field as a Director of the African Region of the IOI World Board. It was a particular privilege for President Field to be able to share the platform with the other keynote speaker, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, The Honourable Mogoeng Mogoeng. Members will also be pleased to know that Mr Werner Amon, Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute and Member of the Austrian Ombudsman Board, provided Opening Remarks to the Conference.
Constitutional democracies are resilient and robust, but this does not mean that they are perfect and it is unlikely that it will ever reach a stage where every single person or institution within the democratic state is completely incorruptible. The Public Protector, and the other agencies who comprise the Forum, are key institutions in promoting and protecting the rule of law, good governance and democracy. Each institution is in its own right powerful, but together when they intervene collaboratively, they represent an even more powerful force again for fundamental honesty, transparency and integrity in the delivery of public service and the expenditure of taxpayer’s money.
