The Hindu : Karnataka News : Media told to help restore decorum

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Media told to help restore decorum

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, OCT. 1. The question of how to maintain discipline and decorum in Parliament and the legislatures and the eroding accountability and credibility of democratic institutions was constantly engaging the minds of the presiding officers, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, K. Rahman Khan, said here today.

Role of media

Participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club of Bangalore, Mr. Khan said the media had a major role to play in restoring decorum to the democratic institutions.

Thanks to the telecast of Question Hour in Parliament by Doordarshan, the image of the institution seemed to have taken a beating, as members frequently disrupted proceedings, stalled the Houses and allowing the impression to gain ground that Parliament was not functioning.

However, the presiding officers alone could not ensure decorum in the Houses and the media could help by projecting the many positive aspects of the working of Parliament and the legislatures. "I also find that while the Rajya Sabha is filled with eminent persons from all walks of life, they get very little coverage in the media. Many members tend to feel that this is a disincentive and do not make the effort to participate more actively and contribute to enrich the quality of debate," Mr. Khan said.

If the media realised its complementary role in the functioning of democracy, it would help members to be more responsible and ensure both "quorum and decorum" in the House, he said.

The harmonious relationship between Parliament and the media could also help members realise that their rights and privileges were meant to be used at the time of enacting legislation, something that many members did not seem to give importance to, Mr. Khan said.

Suggestion

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, had suggested the telecast of the entire proceedings, while some argued that it should be scrapped altogether as it was a temptation for members to play to the gallery and not work at policy making.

Those and other issues would be discussed at the coming conference of presiding officers to be held in Kolkata on October 9 and 10 as also at a meeting of political parties and presiding officers to be held in New Delhi on November 8.

"Ultimately, it has to be remembered that rules alone will not work, and members have to exercise a great deal of self-discipline and introspection," he said.

Asked to comment on the cost to the exchequer on account of disruptions, adjournments and stalling of proceedings, Mr. Khan, who is a chartered accountant, expressed doubts over the figures being mentioned.

`Cannot understand'

He could not understand as to how the cost for every minute the two Houses of Parliament sat was being arrived at. Parliament generally functioned for 90 days in a year. The Rajya Sabha met for 450 hours in a year, while the Lok Sabha met for 540 hours each year. On an average each member got 35 minutes a year to speak and articulate his or her concerns and take part in the debate and law making.

The Press Club president, A. Jayaram, earlier referred to the many eminent men from Karnataka who had made a name for themselves in Parliament, and recalled Mr. Khan's performance as Chairman of the Legislative Council.

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