M A I N   N E W S

Declining standards of parliamentary debate
A. Balu

Nineteenth century British prime minister William Gladstone had once described a member of the House of Commons who was “all scream” in his speeches as the most eloquent speaker he had ever heard. In our present-day Parliament, it will be a difficult exercise to name one such member because of the fierce competition in screaming that had marked the sessions in the recent past.

Parliament has just begun its winter meeting, and the Speaker, Mr Manohar Joshi, is urging the MPs to observe rules and procedures laid down for their guidance to ensure that the proceedings of the House are not disrupted. The last monsoon session was hardly in session, thanks to the preoccupation of the members with the petrol pump scandal, and had to be adjourned sine die a few days before schedule. The chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekawat, has also recently expressed concern to keep the Upper House on a working mode.

No legislative body in the world is free from noise, and the Indian Parliament is no exception. Some state assemblies have witnessed unseemly scenes in which members have exchanged blows. The Lok Sabha has narrowly avoided descending to such levels. If shouting and howling substitute meaningful debate, then democracy loses its meaning.

“It is no more democratic howling like animals rather than to listen in silence,” wrote the former House of Commons Speaker, Mr George Thomas, in his memoirs published nearly two decades ago.

Strong words indeed, and unfortunately, they are valid to our own Parliament. MPs had agreed that they would not rush to the “well” of the House, but they seemed to have forgotten their pledge the moment they entered the House.

Such instances of defiance have been reported from other Parliaments too. For instance, in the Canadian Parliament earlier this year, an MP, according to a published report marched to the table in the centre of the Chamber, hoisted the ceremonial mace—the symbol of parliamentary authority that nobody is supposed to touch— and declared to the Speaker:” We don’t live in a democracy any more.” He then put it down, scowled at the government bench and joined his alliance caucus colleagues stamping out of the Chamber to protest the latest “Liberal assault” on democratic liberty.

A few days ago, Speaker Manohar Joshi cautioned the media against giving “undue coverage” to “disorderly scenes and acts of indiscipline” in Parliament as it emboldened noisy members to violate rules and resort to impropriety. The Speaker may have a point, but his target is rather misdirected.

Everyone acknowledges that Parliament is a vital pillar of democracy. It is a sad fact, however, that lately the people’s representatives are more inclined to break rules rather than make laws. There is the danger of public cynicism about politicians and parliamentarians getting worse.

The Speaker may perhaps like to consider adopting the practice of one minute speeches prevailing in the US Congress, described by a lawmaker as a “steam pressure release valve” for people “who want to scream out.” The allotted half-an-hour or even an hour-a-day can allow members to rant against anybody or any country they love to hate.