The Parliament of world’s largest Democracy has been turned
to a blabbering mess with the majority unwilling to discuss
new Acts or send them to the respective Parliamentary
Committees despite repeated requests by MP’s and the
Opposition walking out of the Chambers. On the last day of the
Monsoon session, 8 laws were passed in a mere 4 hours in the
Upper Chamber. Witnessing such hegemony, one can’t help
but wonder if there is another way to fill in the trust deficit
between the citizens and the legislature.
Recently many countries in the world have hosted Citizens
Assembly in which a group of regular people like you and me
sit together and discuss the draft bills and propose new
solutions to problems faced by the ordinary man. Usually
such Assemblies constitute of no more than a hundred people
who are randomly chosen. Why I am saying that we need a
new approach to discuss these issues is because the
consensus is that the 1st pillar of democracy has been reduced
to a fighting ring along political lines. Since the current
government holds a clear majority in both the houses, it
deems fit to bulldoze through important bills.
The President of France dedicated $16.9 billion to help
address the issue of Climate Change by convening a Citizen’s
Assembly and promising to table all their suggestions
‘unfiltered’. The Gilets Citoyens (Citizen’s Vests) had 6
months to make a comprehensive list on how France can live
upto its role in The Paris Agreement. Spread across 7
weekends, the Assemble discusses a range of topics from
Carbon emission to waste management. This is unlike the
procedure here where it takes no more than a half hour to
introduce, discuss and pass a single bill.
In Ireland it was a Milestone moment when due to the
recommendations of a Citizen’s assembly in 2016, legalized
abortion in 2019.
While the Gilets Citoyens have broken ground in France, The
United Kingdom is trying to cope with polarization with
Climate activists the Extinction Rebellion also demanding a
Citizen Assembly. Unlike in France where the people are
promised that their suggestions will be voted upon without
making any changes to it, the UK has provided no such
assurance.
President Macron has admitted that he has accepted 146 of
149 recommendation of the Assembly. This is a not only a
great way to get people’s opinion but also to provide them
with facts. However, if we look at the change of plans in the
UK, it is plenty clear that although such suggestions will be
made by the honest people of UK but they will neither be
considered nor enacted.
It is of great importance that the sincerity, trust and
legitimacy with which such Assemblies are carried must not
falter. The people need to be assured that it is not a political
exercise and that its results will be taken seriously.
This concept of Citizen’s assembly provides us with an
opportunity to have a direct say in policies governing us and
I think the people of India deserve it.
Truly written