Speaker Ghimire: Parliament’s power lies in digital access & public trust
He highlighted that parliaments must lead in the era of digital transformation rather than lag behind, enabling direct communication between lawmakers and citizens through social media and digital platforms.
KATHMANDU: At the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in Geneva, Speaker Devraj Ghimire emphasized that the power of parliament lies not only in words but in digital access and public trust.
Speaking on the theme, “What role can parliaments play in building our digital future?”, Ghimire stressed the urgent need to prioritize budget increases for technology sectors, ensuring resources for digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, internet literacy, and data protection.
He highlighted that parliaments must lead in the era of digital transformation rather than lag behind, enabling direct communication between lawmakers and citizens through social media and digital platforms.
However, he also cautioned against rising challenges such as misinformation and misuse of technology.
Speaker Ghimire expressed confidence that technologies like machine learning, data centers, digitization, and speech-to-text can enhance parliamentary procedures and strengthen connections with the public.
Regarding Nepal, he shared that efforts are underway to study the use of artificial intelligence in legislative management, with bills related to AI and social media currently in progress.
He further noted that digital technology offers important opportunities to improve transparency, efficiency, and public participation in parliamentary functions.
Tools such as online broadcasting, e-Parliament systems, digital records, and electronic voting have modernized parliamentary work, making it more effective and accessible to all.
Concluding, Ghimire pointed out that today’s largest global companies are technology-based, signaling that the future belongs to digital advancement.
