Delays, apathy and corruption erode the credibility of institutions and efforts must be made to ensure transparency of executive action, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said Sunday.

 

 Meira Kumar was speaking on "Strengthening democracy in the south Asia region through institution development" at the Seventh Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians in Male.

 

 She said existence of an impartial judiciary to uphold the rule of law and protect individual rights and liberty was important for sustaining democracy, according to a press release by the Lok Sabha secretariat here.

 

 "Delays, apathy and corruption erode the credibility of institutions causing disillusionment and unrest. Hence, efforts must be made to ensure transparency and certainty of executive action," Meira Kumar said.

 

 Meira Kumar said legislatures enjoy a position of pre-eminence in a democratic polity and parliaments can frame any number of progressive legislations but these will remain confined to rule books till people believe in necessity of these laws.

 

 "Therefore, parliaments today not only have to legislate but also have to mould opinions," she said.

 

 The speaker said large-scale inequalities and deprivation pose continuous threat to the survival of democracy.

 

 She said south Asian countries face the daunting task of uplifting the standards of living of its people with limited resources at their disposal.