Do we really need 225 Members of Parliament?

By U. B. Wijekoon

(August 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Compared to the neighbouring countries, the Sri Lankan Legislature is massively over represented. Sri Lanka with a population of around 20 million people have 225 members in Parliament, whereas our immediate neighbour India with a population over 1,100 million has only 543 members, the proportion of representation being 1 to 2 million people and the corresponding proportion in Sri Lanka is 1 to 90,000 people.

Going on these ratios either India should have 12,000 members or Sri Lanka should have only 10 members in their respective Parliaments. Parliament is the supreme legislative body in the country. The Constitution empowers Parliament to enact laws. Laws are very crucial for good governance, to create economic prosperity, social wellbeing, maintenance of law and order and to achieve peace in the country. It is a specialized and a very responsible function which has to be entrusted with utmost care and caution.

Law making does not necessarily require a large number of persons. In fact that well recognized authority on Representative Government, John Steuart Mill, has said that a numerically large representative assembly is not fit for the direct business of legislation which is a skilled task demanding study and experience. He further elaborates that every provision of a law requires to be framed with the most accurate and long-sighted perception of its effect on all other provisions. The law when made should be capable of fitting into a consistent whole with the previously existing laws. The question needs to be posed here is, how many of our 225 members in Parliament meet this requirement. Mill himself has suggested that the duty of making laws should be entrusted to a small body. In fact this is happening in our Parliament, though unwittingly, because a relatively small number of members participate in law enactment discussions and the rest are bystanders who are only a burden and a financial liability.

In our early legislative bodies the number of representatives was small. The State Council under the Donoughmore Constitution had only fifty members. Subsequently with the introduction of the Parliamentary system under the Soulbury Constitution Parliament had 101 members. Thereafter the number gradually increased and today the Parliament consists of 225 members. Though the number increased it is ironical that the quality of the members seems to have deteriorated.

In the former legislatures there was a galaxy of brilliance of the calibre of D. S. Senanayake, Dr. N. M. Perera, Dr. Colvin.R.de Silva, Philip Gunawardena, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Dudley Senanayake, J. R. Jayewardene, G. G. Ponnambalam, Pieter Keunaman, Dr. S. A. Wickramasinghe, Wilmot .A. Perera, S. J. V. Chelvanayagam, E. F. N. Gratien, Sir Francis Molamure, Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara, V. Kandiah, H. S. Ismail, M. D. Banda, U. B. Wanninayake, Bernard Soysa, Dr. M. C. M. Kaleel, T. B. Jayah, Felix Bandaranaike to mention just a few. Parliamentary decorum was maintained at the highest levels and debating was of an extremely high standard. People with academic excellence and most importantly individuals who had the independent means to sustain themselves without resorting to corruption entered the political fray.

Today, most subjects originally handled by Parliament have been devolved to the periphery. Under the 13th amendment to the Constitution, Provincial Councils have been established and vested with selected legislative and executive powers. The Provincial Councils are really responsible for the economic, social and cultural upliftment and the general wellbeing of the people of the provinces. How far these objectives have been realized is another matter that needs a separate discussion. However when many of the responsibilities earlier handled by the Parliament have been devolved, is it justifiable to carry on with a Parliament of 225 members?

The eight Provincial Councils, so far constituted consist of 369 members. What was performed by 225 members is now entrusted to another 369 representatives and thus bringing the total to 594.These two public bodies have been in existence side by side for the last two decades. Has the country gained anything substantial by the bifurcation of responsibilities except the added enormous cost to maintain two parasitic establishments and providing opportunities to engage in bribery and corruption to a larger number.

Both these arms of government are a huge financial burden on the country. All citizens are heavily taxed to maintain them. The average cost of a Member of Parliament has been estimated at Rs.200,000/= per month and that of a Minister is around Rs.500,000/= or more per month in addition to many other benefits and privileges like duty free vehicles. There are 150 Ministers i.e.110 in Parliament and 40 in Provincial Councils. Adding to this extravagance, a proposal is now under consideration to construct 150 luxury houses for the use of parliamentarians. Is it morally correct even to think of such grandiose schemes for the benefit of a privileged few when the people are faced with many economic hardships? There are thousands living in refugee camps and there are others affected by tsunami of 2004 yet living in tents.

In the economic development sphere too the Parliament has miserably failed. Sri Lanka renowned for its beauty, location and natural resources, is yet considered a third world poor country, not self sufficient in any of its basic needs - food, clothing and shelter - due to lack of proper planning and management of its resources and therefore compelled to seek foreign aid and loans for its sustenance. Even recently at the request of the government the IMF decided to grant a loan of US dollars 2,600 million/Rs.287,500 million. Some Ministers were really jubilant and hailed the event. Although nobody challenges the necessity of such a loan at the moment, it is however, a thing to be ashamed of and one should feel sad because it will certainly add further burdens to the people. The irony is that not a single cent of this huge loan will be utilized for any development project of the country. One interesting matter is, however, the enthusiasm and concern shown by our representatives about the sharing and distribution of the country’s wealth rather than its creation .The prosperity of the country depends on increased production which needs more effort and attention.

Therefore reducing the number of parliamentarians would save millions and this is something worthy of serious consideration.

All the benefits and privileges mentioned are given as compensation for keeping the highest standards expected from Parliamentarians. Does this really happen? Sadly, it does not. Apart from many other shortcomings, they neglect even their main duty and responsibility of attending parliamentary sessions to participate in the affairs of the House. On many occasions, it is reported not even 25 members are present in the Chamber. Absence of ministers to answer questions is a common occurrence. This happens in spite of paying an attendance fee of Rs.500/=per sitting. Many mark their attendance and disappear. This shows the degree of irresponsibility of our Representatives.

His Excellency the President very often publicly expresses that there are only two categories of citizens in the country today-patriotic and unpatriotic. Is it not relevant to raise the question as to which of the two categories our parliamentarians who are unconcerned about their duties and responsibilities fall?

Sri Lanka does not need to have such a large Parliament consisting of 225 members. At a time when His Excellency the President speaks of the necessity of an indigenous system of governance the time is opportune for all patriotic citizens to awake up and demand to cut Parliament down to a size of one hundred or less members and create a more effective and slender Legislature.

(The writer is a retired public servant who had a long career in parliament, including a stint as a cabinet minister. He later served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Russia)

-Sri Lanka Guardian