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Re-energising democracy

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's timely call for expanded media coverage of parliamentary proceedings is likely to be backed by those sections of opinion which see the need to further enhance the prestige and standing of the legislative arm of government. Members of Parliament exercise an important aspect of the people's sovereignty and this should be sharply focussed on in the days ahead lest it be obfuscated by the current divisive debate on which is foremost among the branches of government.

Expanded media coverage of parliamentary proceedings would certainly go a considerable distance in meeting a fundamental right of the tax-paying public - the need to be constantly informed of how well their representatives are carrying on with the vital function of governance. Such exposure would also enable the people to ascertain at first-hand almost, how effectively and efficiently their painstakingly-earned money is being utilized.

If adopted, the proposal to thus enable the media to cover parliamentary proceedings more extensively, could help in democratizing to a greater extent the country's political culture. The end result of such exposure would be a better informed public which could articulate its needs more cogently and bring greater pressure to bear on its representatives in Parliament to meet these needs.

We believe that greater exposure to the public through the electronic media in particular, would also do our MPs immense good. Our politicians are bound to give a better account of themselves, in terms of improved conduct in the legislature, if they feel the eyes of the public constantly on them.

Of equal significance is increased media access to Parliamentary Consultative Committee meetings. There is reason to believe that these bodies are not giving of their best, although they are ideal democratic mechanisms on paper for the institution of corruption-free, transparent and effective governance. Some of these committees open themselves to the allegation of being tardy and lethargic. The Public Enterprises Reforms Commission, for instance, is believed to be having a heavy backlog of work running back to the mid-Nineties.

The rationale behind the formation of these committees is that they could keep an eagle eye on the functioning of important State agencies, to ensure the effective use of public funds. They should also be in a position to call to account current state operatives in these organizations. There is hardly any point in calling to account officials who are no longer in office or those who served these agencies long ago. But this is exactly what would happen if committees lag behind in their duties.

By gaining greater access to these Consultative Committees, the media would be in a position to keep the public constantly informed of their operations. Besides, greater public scrutiny would have the effect of energising these committees.

Thus far there has been very little public scrutiny of the people's representatives. The cardinal tenet seems to be forgotten that an MP is, first and foremost, accountable to his or her electoral district that is, the people. The people too do not realize that their duties as citizens do not end with the act of casting votes for candidates of their choice running for election. Once elected to Parliament, these MPs must be held accountable for their actions by the public. This too is part of the stuff of democracy. Hopefully, the foundation would now be laid for the realisation of these ideals.

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