Parliamentarians! Should Indians Emulate You?
Posted : December 24, 2008 at 8:14 pm [IST]
How should the people of India at large take your behaviour inside the temples of democracy? Why can’t you find a better way of protesting rather than getting into the well and yelling out your lungs? How can you prevent the minister to present a bill by physically snatching the paper from him? Why should not you study seriously using one of the best libraries available or get yourself some tutor to train (if required secretly) for improving your debating skill and participate in the debate? Why don’t you consult some experts on the subject of debate that you come to know in advance? You may also ask your party bosses to have a panel of experts with whom you can discuss your ideas before the debate. The people of the country get pained to see your knowledge and standard of debate in the parliament. And why can’t you improve your attendance in the house, when even the women in kitty parties in the country are so conscious about the attendance? If you get paid without attendance, what example are you setting for the employees in public sector? How can you penalize them if you yourself don’t follow the basic discipline?
Many questions started flowing in my mind after reading the news reports:
While four Bills were passed on Monday, a staggering eight were rammed through in just 17 minutes on Tuesday.
Parliament had met for only 32 days this year against the expectation for a minimum of 100 days. And see how the work culture in the parliament has deteriorated?
Lok Sabha had met for as many as 151 days in 1956, but just 98 and 109 days in 1976 and 1985, respectively. In 1999, it had met for 51 days.
2008 will go down in India’s parliamentary history as the year when the Upper House met for the least number of days - a mere 46 in the calendar year.
How can you justify passing of bills with discussion and debate? Do you think that the debate is unnecessary evil? The Bills rushed through Lok Sabha on Tuesday were: the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Amendment, Compensatory Afforestation Act, Constitution (STs) UT Order (Amendment), South Asian University Bill, Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill and Collection of Statistics Bill.A ninth Bill, HC and SC Judges Salaries and Conditions of Service Bill, could not be taken up as law minister was not in the House. How can not you appreciate the importance of the bills? Don’t you think that your contribution could have taken all possible bugs out?
Can’t at least some parliamentarians from both the houses set some example by not taking the remuneration for the days they don’t attend the house full? Don’t they feel this as important?
Parliamentarians! As reported in media, you all expect a significant raise in your remunerations as it has come to bureaucrats through pay commission. Please take as much as you want. After all you are the law makers. But please give similar raises to others also, for example the judges. However, please incorporate a provision of ‘no work, no pay’ in the rule.
Don’t take the people of country for granted. One day they will take the right to dethrone you whenever they want without giving you a guaranteed five years of uninterrupted remunerations without work.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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