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bodies such concepts as "openness", accountability", "rights", "responsibilities". Transparency

employs institutions such as offices of Ombudsman, Privacy bodies, and Human Rights Com-
missions. It enshrines these institutions in administrative law and regulation. albeit sometimes
without the 'teeth' to enforce the mandate of the particular institution.

All the foregoing is in pursuit of "good government". or "Governance". Gover-
nance ~as as its objective. the control of abuse of power, repressive acts. and. generally.
preventing subversion of the "democratic ideal". More positively put. governance ensures the

effective. honest. equitable and accountable exercise of power by governments.

At the heart of the concept of the democratic ideal is the notion that government
is best where it is "of the people. for the people and by the people". So. while this notion is
not agreed wholeheartedly even by liberal democratic states. or in totalitarian ones which
reject it totally. there is an universal understanding of the concept. largely as a result of formal
education and by means of world wide media coverage.

Assuming then that there is some generally agreed world vision that Government
exists for the benefit of the people and not the reverse. we find a history of experiments in
ways to make government work better. As the years flow by. and our experience of democracy
and what makes it work grows, we no longer believe simple representative government is
sufficient. For at least quarter of a century. the notion of "participation" has existed : that is.
people participating in decisions the events of the day. For citizens. to have a direct say in
everything from where the next bridge crossing should be located. to challenging the merits of

a dam project. or the use of a beach for a film set. is now accepted as a normal state of affairs.
While those in power may try to resist what they consider to be interference arising from
public participation, few politicians and public service officials dare to refute this "right"
nowadays, or refute it at their peril.

In examining the nature of "rights", we find at least two types. which. for the
purpose of this discussion. I call "cultural rights" and "acquired rights". The term "cultural
rights" refers to matters generally understood to be naturally part of everyday living and are
generally in the domain of civil liberties. such as freedom of speech. freedom to practice one's

choice of religion. or freedom of movement. Engineering change is such matters or in any
which are deeply imbedded in the culture is likely to engender much public anger.

The term "acquired rights" refers to institutions. ideas or procedures. which have
been imported or adapted. Examples are offices of the ombudsman. or acts of parliament

governing the freedom of information. or for the protection of privacy. These are surrounded
by laws and governed by regulations that can be changed from time to time without too much
trouble or reference to the public as a whole.