4 The second aspect concerns the effectiveness of minority parliamentarians in the work of parliament. Again, the obstacles are numerous. Racism exists in some parliaments. There is always a risk of tokenism, especially with reserved seats, if the minority parliamentarian does not build or maintain a strong relationship with the community outside parliament. The bulk of legislative work is done by parliamentary committees. It is therefore important for parliamentarians to belong to committees in their area of interest so they can influence their work. Here again, however, the, selection process is usually controlled by the political parties which seek to balance the competing interests of all their members. Access to the most prestigious and influential committees, such as Finance Committees, is very difficult for minority parliamentarians to achieve. In most parliaments it is essential to hold leadership positions in parliament in order to be able to advance one's legislative agenda. These positions, such as membership of the bureau of parliament, chair of a committee, or party whip, are limited and competition is fierce. Yet without support from parliamentary leaders, minority parliamentarians experience difficulty in moving legislation that they have drafted through the legislative process, or even getting it onto the parliamentary agenda.