F orty-five years ago today, Malta joined the Commonwealth of Nations just as it stood on the cusp of its greatest period in history. Over the course of the next 20 years, the Commonwealth played a pivotal role in supporting decolonisation, promoting democracy and ending apartheid in South Africa. It was seen as a brave and effective player on the international stage. Today the Commonwealth's profile has slipped. Many of its people are no longer convinced of its value. And, if it is to re-establish itself as an effective international organisation for the 21st century, reform is beginning to look increasingly urgent.
Early in 2009, eager to seize the opportunity offered by the Commonwealth's 60th anniversary year, the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) commissioned nationally representative opinion polls in seven different countries.
The polls tested people's knowledge, awareness and opinion of the Commonwealth. Their results displayed a worrying mix of indifference, ignorance and imbalance.
Globally, only a third of people polled could name any activity carried out by the association. Support for the Commonwealth among developed countries is particularly low and in countries such as Australia, the UK and Canada only about one third of people would be sorry if their country left the association. An insidious malaise of indifference seems to have permeated an organisation which, when countries such as Malta first opted in, stood at the forefront of international affairs.
These worrying poll results acted as the impetus behind the launch of a unique global public consultation - the largest of its kind ever undertaken. "The Commonwealth Conversation" seeks to gather the opinions of thousands of Commonwealth citizens across the globe on the future of the association. Independently run by the RCS, the Conversation has already become the forum for heated debates on topics such as human rights, climate change and media freedom. Former leaders such as Australia's Malcolm Fraser and Zambia's Kenneth Kaunda have publicly contributed and President Nasheed of the Maldives has called for urgent Commonwealth action on climate change. But it is the thousands of ordinary citizens who are sharing their ideas and concerns that will make the Conversation worthwhile.
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which will be held in Trinidad & Tobago in November, the RCS will publicly present the findings of the Conversation to the world's leaders. This process represents a rare opportunity for ordinary citizens to shape the future of an international organisation. And, there is little doubt that the Commonwealth must alter its course.
It is an association ideally placed to be the collective voice of moral authority that is missing from today's world stage; it is the perfect vehicle for dialogue and cooperation between governments and between peoples; and it is buttressed by a civil society network that is unrivalled in its field. Yet a reluctance to speak out, or a hesitance to take bold action - Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Fiji could all be cited as recent examples - conspire to stifle the Commonwealth's potentially potent assets.
In eight weeks' time, the first results of the Commonwealth Conversation will be in every leader's hand as they take their seat at the CHOGM negotiating table. If the Commonwealth family allows the recommendations of its people to pass by unheeded; if it allows the opportunity for reform to slip through its fingers, there will be few who can halt its quiet decline.
But strong, clear recommendations from its people - a vision for the future - could be just what the Commonwealth needs to strike out afresh, emboldened and re-energised by a brave new agenda and a purpose imbued with a new sense of clarity and cause.
I urge the people of Malta to add their voices to the Conversation and to play their part in achieving lasting and radical change.
www.thecommonwealthconversation.org
Dr Sriskandarajah is director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, the oldest and largest NGO dedicated to Commonwealth affairs.