Somnath Chattergy’s good suggestion!

– Thinakkural Editorial

(September 26, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It has become necessary these days to comment frequently on the conduct of people’s representatives. Somnath Chattergy, the Speaker of Indian Lok Sabha, has made a suggestion that the people must have the right to recall their representatives if they do not function properly in and out of parliament.

He further stated that the representatives of the people must conduct themselves with decorum both inside and outside parliament and that the people will lose their faith in the democratic institutions, if their representatives do not act with dignity and with a sense of responsibility.

He also laments that there hardly exists honesty and integrity in public life and that people’s representatives should be accountable to the people at all times.

Today, the rights and duties of a voter cease with his casting of his vote at polling booths. Thereafter, the voter has no role to play till the next election.

We welcome this matured suggestion by the Speaker of India’s Lok Sabah that the constitution of democratic countries must be changed to enable the voter to recall his representatives when they fail in the discharge of their duties.

(An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily based in Colombo.) - Sri Lanka Guardian