It is a pity that many many years have lapsed since Parliamentary Democracy is in vogue in this country but a majority of our Parliamentarians have yet to learn the rudimentary lessons how to behave on the floor of the House and use Parliamentary language while conducting debates in Parliament. They grapple with one another, tear one another’s clothes in a fit of anger and even use fisti cuffs against one another turning the floor of the House into a fish market.
The following couple of instances would illustrate the way the Brits conduct their Parliamentary business .Their MPs are extremely careful in the choice of words while castigating their political opponents. Benjamin Disraeli was British Premier and Gladstone was Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. Those who had been to London know that River Thames flow adjacent to the British Parliament’s building.
During the course of Assembly proceedings one day some body asked Benjamin Disraeli as to what was the difference between misfortune and calamity to which Disraeli replied if Gladstone fell into Thames it will be misfortune but if he was dragged out again by somebody that would be a calamity. We haven’t seen exhibition of such a sense of humour in our Assemblies. Sir Winston Churchill was British Premier during the Second World War. Never a day went by when Hitler didn’t hurled abuses at him in his speeches but Churchill never replied to Hitler’s vitipurations against him and never lost his composure. When one day a newsman asked him as to why he wasn’t replying to Hitler’s accusations against him he uttered only a few words which were heavier than Hitler’s diatribe against him. He said perhaps Hitler didn’t have good Primary Education.
Once addressing the UN General Assembly the then Soviet Prime Minister Nikitia Khureschev lost his temper and thumping the rostrum with his mocassin by removing his foot out of it called the then Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold who was a highly educated soft spoken person, a dog under the powers exercised by him. He could have asked Sergeant at Arms to remove the Soviet Premier out of the venue by force but he ignored his vituperation. After the meeting was over and a newsman asked the Secretary General about his inaction against the Soviet Premier he said perhaps I am better educated than the Soviet leader and that was that.
Isn’t it a fact that in the initial days after creation of this country the skull of Deputy Speaker of the then East Pakistan Assembly
was broken in a scuffle between two groups and that incident was one of the reasons of imposition of first Martial Law in this country when FM Ayub Khan had made a sardonic remark that Parliamentary Democracy didn’t suit the genius of the people of this country.
It is of utmost importance that the political parties should give party tickets for assembly elections to only those persons who are reputed to be of impeccable financial integrity, who have not been involved in any offence of moral turpitude and have not committed any criminal offence or has evaded payment of any government tax. Iran has evolved a system of thorough investigation which digs deep into the credentials of persons seeking party ticket for contesting elections of the Assemblies. Why can’t we do the same? If CID report is obtained about the credentials of a person before appointing him even as Naib Qasid in any state institution why cannot the same yardstick be applied on those who seek entry into Assemblies?They haven’t descended from the heavens?
Since long money is making mare go in almost all political parties at the time of granting tickets for contesting elections to the legislature Party men who bankroll the party with heavy amounts get preference over others and that is the precise reason why capable and honest leaders in political parties don’t make it to the legislature.
10
