With the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting coming to a close today, Kurt Sansone explores the democratic divide that exists in this 53-nation bloc.

Being gay can get you arrested in 40 Commonwealth countries according to a world index compiled by international gay advocacy group Ilga.

And from the remaining 13 nations, it is only the UK, Canada, South Africa and Malta that allow same-sex marriage or an equal substitute.

It is no wonder that any discussion on gay rights in the Commonwealth is bound to find resistance.

LGBTI issues have never arisen at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 66 years. The Malta meeting has broken that trend, even if no conclusive declaration on the matter will be made.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat broached the subject as did UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who yesterday insisted the Commonwealth had to stand for human rights, including LGBTI rights.

But the topic remains contentious. Baroness Patricia Scotland, the newly-elected Commonwealth Secretary-General, acknowledged the difficulty such an issue raises in her first comments on Friday.

The Commonwealth combines an eclectic group of nations from five continents united by the historic fact that they once formed part of the British Empire.

The organisation has often come under fire for being impotent to deal with errant members and gay rights is not the only contentious issue that exemplifies the democratic divide between the different countries.

Press freedom is another bone of contention. The 2015 world index compiled by Reporters Without Borders shows that 15 Commonwealth countries, including Malta, are ranked in the category “good to satisfactory”.

But another 25 fall within the category “noticeable problems to very serious situation” (no ranking is provided for the other 13 Commonwealth countries, mostly small Caribbean and pacific nations).

From the Commonwealth countries, Sri Lanka scrapes the bottom of the list, ranked 165 in the world followed by Rwanda at 161 and Pakistan at 159.

Another measure that provides an interesting overview of the disparity that exists is the index measuring perceived levels of public sector corruption released by Transparency International.

While New Zealand and Singapore have low perceptions of corruption and rank second and seventh respectively in the index, other Commonwealth nations like Kenya, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea are perceived as highly corrupt, ranking 145th on a world list of 175 countries.

Equality and good governance were two of the issues on the CHOGM agenda. But adopting practical steps to redress the imbalance has proven harder to achieve.

The first stumbling block is the Commonwealth’s political nature. It is a grouping that countries form part of on a voluntary basis and, although there are guiding principles nations have to adhere to, they remain unenforceable.

What I have found is that with respect and a lot of patience you can work to bring about change

In his speech at the opening ceremony on Friday, Joseph Muscat urged fellow Commonwealth leaders to speak with one voice.

In the past, when the Commonwealth was united to defeat apartheid in South Africa, the pressure helped yield results, Baroness Scotland said when asked about the disparity in human rights that existed within the 53-nation bloc. However, while pledging to work relentlessly for equality she urged patience and respect for the sovereignty of each nation.

“We have to make sure each individual has the opportunity to contribute, develop and participate in society but we also have to respect sovereignty… what I have found is that with respect and a lot of patience you can work to bring about change,” she said.

There is an economic case for equality, she added, insisting that human rights and development went hand in hand.

“I will use every fibre in my body to develop equality for all our citizens but I will do so respectfully,” Baroness Scotland said. She drew a comparison with the civil liberties movement that campaigned for equality for blacks, pointing out that today nobody would accept such discrimination. But reaching that point was a tortuous journey, she insisted.

“If the Commonwealth chooses to work together in partnership we will find a path to resolve these issues,” she said.

A glimmer of hope does exist in the networking potential created by the Commonwealth. Far from the formalities of CHOGM, the forums that were held in the run-up provided space for people and organisations from the 53 countries to meet and share experiences.

The People’s Forum this year made historical progress when it proposed a declaration on gay rights. The declaration called on Commonwealth leaders to follow international examples by condemning anti-LGBTI violence. The declaration will be snubbed by leaders, but that is something gay activists have gotten used to.

Mr Cameron yesterday said pressure on Sri Lanka over the past two years to address human rights abuses was bearing fruit.

“The Commonwealth can be a force for good,” he insisted, as he condemned violence in the Maldives perpetrated by the forces of law and order.

How far these messages will go to force change remains to be seen. The new secretary-general will have much on her plate in the years to come but eventually, it will boil down to Commonwealth leaders to up their game and create the necessary conditions for democracy to flourish.

Meanwhile, it will take patience and many more violations of human rights before that happens.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com

Number curiosities

• 10,000: the population size of Nauru and Tuvalu, the two smallest members.

• 1.3 billion: the population of India, the largest member.

• 3: The European countries of the Commonwealth are Malta, Cyprus and the UK.

• 5.4 million: the combined populations of the 10 Caribbean island states.

• 18: the African countries part of the Commonwealth.

• 1,190: the number of islands that make up the Maldives archipelago.

• 11: members from the Pacific region, including Australia.

• 8: members from Asia.

• 174 million: Nigeria is Africa’s most populated country.

• 429,000: Malta’s population.

Source: The Commonwealth