The assemblies in the simplest of terms are the link between
a government and the people. It is filled with elected representatives from the
masses who voice the opinion of their people in front of a national audience.
The core objective of the assemblies is to debate on the things that impact the
nation. The sheer power of the assembly in its ideal state is very high.
The amount of power is accompanied by a great deal of
responsibility as their actions can play a very big role in the lives of the
people. The problem however arises when the representatives of the people
represent themselves and not the people in the act of decision making. The
elected members in the assemblies have to go through a great ordeal and hence
can be manipulated by those who had supported them.
In a country like Pakistan where institutions such as the
army have insurmountable powers, the assemblies can be manipulated into making
decisions that might not be in the best interest of the nation.
Every assembly need to be comprised of people for whom
self-interest is outweighed by the national interest. The institutions should
be accountable to the assembly and not vice versa. The voice of the people
needs to be heard for a government to prosper and that can only be achieved
with an assembly that at its core discusses and debates matters that effect the
nation without the fear of repercussions from other institutions that might
have their own agendas. The link between the people and the government is vital
and a broken link can spell doom for the entire populace.
Although i agree with the opinion that assemblies should consist of people who place national interest as primary,what do you suggest is the mechanism for ensuring that such people get elected to the assembly?Secondly,if all institutions are accountable to the assembly,doesn't that give the assembly gargantuan power that it can exploit?
ReplyDeleteI believe the link between the assembly and the people is already very weak. The people who become MNAs hardly visit their constituency and meet those who voted for them. Plus since a lot of people feel "forgotten" by the government and their policies , there is a sense of distrust in the system. Therefore we can say the link is on the verge of breaking.
ReplyDeleteAlso building a system of accountability that is REALLY independent is what is seen as a solution. With this accountability board, those is power may act in a more responsible way and hopefully not steal from the country as they have done so frequently in the past.