文／公民監督國會聯盟
公督盟成功輸出台灣民主經驗，與九國確立亞洲國會透明度指標，並展開調查計畫！
2025年9月18日至19日，由公民監督國會聯盟（CCW）
建立亞洲民主長牆，公督盟串起跨國公民社會進行對話！
公督盟作為台灣少數長期監督國會的民間組織，
公督盟理事長謝東儒指出，
國立屏東科技大學教授（公督盟國際事務委員會副召集人）
亞洲國會透明度指標（APTI）時代意義：民間主導、學術助力！
本次參與工作坊的組織來自亞洲與拉丁美洲，
在南亞與東亞，菲律賓由 Legal Network for Truthful Elections（LENTE） 出席，斯里蘭卡則由 Verité Research 參與。跨出亞洲，來自阿根廷的 Directorio Legislativo (DL) 也加入討論，提供拉丁美洲的經驗。
總共超過十四個跨國公民團體，
同時，澳洲墨爾本大學亞洲研究中心也參與其中，
「在亞洲多元的政治制度下，要找到共同的指標並不容易，
亞洲國會透明度指標（APTI）四大面向，
「亞洲國會透明度指標（APTI）」是亞洲國會開放聯盟（
APTI 的設計建立在四大面向：
透明：國會是否主動公開組織、人事、立法活動與決策過程。
問責：國會與議員是否在財務、利益關係、
公民參與：公民是否能有意義地參與國會過程並影響政策討論。
法制基礎：是否有清楚且具正當性的法律程序，保障透明與參與。
這些面向不僅提供研究框架，
透明國會，才是重拾人民信任的重要民主基石！
雖然與會者來自不同國家，面對不同的政治制度與挑戰，
我們深知，沒有透明與問責，就沒有人民的信任；沒有正常的國會，
這場東京工作坊正是新旅程的起點。透過 透明度指標與跨國調查，各國國會將能在比較與對話中互相學習、
未來展望：以台灣為基地，推動2026亞洲國會透明度調查報告!
這場工作坊並非終點，而是一個開始。依照規劃，初稿指標將在 2025 年底完成學術審查，並於 2026 年展開涵蓋十國的正式調查，最終在台灣舉辦國際研討會，
更重要的是，這份計畫彰顯了 「民間主導、學術協助」 的合作模式。公民團體發想並設計指標，學者則在旁協助檢視，
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九國十四個公民團體在日本東京舉辦亞洲國會透明度指標（
第一排座位由右至左，
CCW Successfully Exports Taiwan’s Democratic Experience: Establishes the Asia Parliamentary Transparency Index with Nine Countries and Launches a Regional Survey
Tokyo, September 18–19 — The Asia Parliamentary Transparency Index (APTI) Workshop, co-hosted by Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) and the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne, successfully concluded in Tokyo. For the first time, fourteen Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations (PMOs) from nine Asian countries and Argentina, along with academic representatives, came together to advance parliamentary reform across Asia.
A Shared Vision for Civil Society
The APTI is a flagship initiative of the Asian Alliance for Parliament Open (AAPO), a civil society network committed to parliamentary oversight and democratic governance. It was created in response to growing global demands for transparency and accountability in politics.
The Index is built around four core dimensions:
Transparency: proactive disclosure of parliamentary structures, personnel, legislative activities, and decision-making processes.
Accountability: oversight of finances, conflicts of interest, responsibilities, and institutional checks and balances.
Citizen Participation: opportunities for citizens to engage in parliamentary processes and influence policy.
Legal Framework: legitimate rules and procedures that safeguard openness and participation.
These dimensions not only guide research but also embody the shared vision of the PMOs that gathered in Tokyo.
Dialogue Across Borders
Over two days, participants shared experiences, compared national practices, and debated every detail—from defining indicators to designing survey questionnaires. One participant observed:
“Asian political systems are diverse, and finding common indicators is no easy task. But precisely because it is difficult, the results are all the more meaningful.”
The workshop produced the first draft of the Parliamentary Transparency Index, designed by civil society and academically reviewed for rigor. This collaborative model balances civic needs with scholarly credibility, laying a foundation for meaningful cross-national comparisons.
Organizations from across Asia and beyond took part: CCW (Taiwan), National Center for Integral Development (Mongolia), PoliPoli and Code for Japan (Japan), CFOI (South Korea), WeVis (Thailand), IPC and PSHK (Indonesia), PRISMA, MYMP, and Sinar Project (Malaysia), LENTE (Philippines), Verité Research (Sri Lanka), and Directorio Legislativo (Argentina).
Despite working under very different political systems, all share a common goal: to make parliaments more transparent, open, and accountable. This cross-border collaboration fosters mutual learning and strengthens democracy regionally and globally.
Academic and Civil Society Collaboration
The Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne reviewed survey designs and methodologies to ensure strong academic grounding. CCW Chairperson Professor Tung-ru Jeffery Shieh highlighted Argentina’s valuable contributions, CCW’s past experiences, and Professor Akihiro Ogawa’s long-standing support from Melbourne.
Professor Herlin Chien of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology added:
“If, as Benedict Anderson argued in 1983, nations are ‘imagined communities,’ then while citizens imagine their sense of national belonging, they also carry hopes for good governance. Over two days of dialogue in Japan, we sought to integrate our diverse expectations and visions of ‘parliamentary good governance’ into the design of the indicators. Our aim is to deepen democracy across Asia and ensure it better reflects civic needs in all their diversity.”
Looking Ahead
The Tokyo workshop is only the beginning. Draft indicators will undergo academic review by late 2025, followed by a ten-country survey in 2026. An international conference in Taiwan will then unveil the survey results.
This initiative exemplifies a partnership model where civil society leads, while academic institutions provide expertise to ensure credibility. The resulting transparency survey will serve both as an advocacy tool and as a global reference for parliamentary reform.
Conclusion
Despite vast differences in national contexts, participants shared a single aspiration: to strengthen parliamentary reform and make democracy more authentic and resilient. Fourteen organizations dedicated their time and energy to this necessary conversation.
As CCW’s guiding principle reminds us: without transparency and accountability, there can be no public trust; without a functioning parliament, there can be no functioning state. This conviction resonates not only in Taiwan but across all democratic societies.
Democracy remains a work in progress. By making parliaments more transparent, inclusive, and responsive, civil society organizations are helping democracy advance. The Tokyo workshop marks the start of that journey. With shared indicators and cross-national surveys, parliaments worldwide will be able to learn from one another, spurring reforms and building the trust essential for democratic life.
