Question

The following are some proposals for making the Parliament more effective. State if you agree or disagree with each of them and give your reasons. Explain what would be the effect if these suggestions were accepted.

√ Parliament should work for longer period.
√ Attendance should be made compulsory for members of Parliament.
√ Speakers should be empowered to penalise members for interrupting the proceedings of the House.

Answer 1

• Parliament should work for longer period.

I agree with the above proposal that parliament should work for a longer period. There are a large number of issues that require debate and legislation and these are delayed sometimes because the parliament is not in session. To overcome this, the parliament needs to work for a longer time.

• Attendance should be made compulsory for members of Parliament.

I agree with this proposal as compulsory attendance would lead to presence of members for crucial decisions that require the support of majority. It would also encourage presentation of views across the political spectrum.

• Speakers should be empowered to penalise members for interrupting the proceedings of the House.

I agree with this proposal as penalising members for interrupting the proceedings of house would lead to less wastage of time and maintain the dignity of the Parliament. This would also lead to less wastage of the tax payers’ money that is incurred to run the parliament. However, it should not lead to suppression of dissent.