It is the average of 16 days that sends out an alarm. It raises questions whether our representatives have failed us. It raises questions over governments with brute majorities that literally have the mandate to bypass legislative processes and in the bargain avoid scrutiny (BLURB)
A report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Goa Election Watch has brought to the fore a striking constitutional deficiency for the period 2017-2019. The report based on data sourced through the Right to Information from the Goa Legislature reveals that on average there were only 16 days of business conducted in the House for the three years. Also, the report states that legislators have declared assets of over Rs1 crore, sitting MLAs have disclosed assets valued at Rs 11.75 crore on an average, with Calangute MLA and Cabinet minister Michael Lobo declaring property worth over Rs 54 crore.
While the acquisition of assets and their declaration can be a discussion for another day, it is the truncated assembly sessions that are worrisome from Goa’s perspective. Short assembly sessions have been held ever since the Manohar Parrikar regime of 2017, when the chief minister was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer and was shuffling from hospitals in Mumbai to Delhi and Goa. However, long after Parrikar's demise, the trend of curtailing Assembly sessions to the extent of not announcing full-fledged budgets have continued.
Ironically, much to the luck of the ruling benches and the willingness of the Opposition, the pandemic became a perfect excuse to drastically reduce days of sittings from March 2019. Sixteen days of business in a year is by any yardstick reflective of underperformance of legislators, and a legislative failure. The Legislative assembly has a very crucial function of formulating laws, understanding pathologies in legislation, correcting or preventing them through discussions and debates. MLAs are representatives of the people in the House, and this is where they hold a supreme responsibility.
In hindsight, the Opposition majorly engaged in pointless banter and theatrics, which included walkouts within the limited time at their disposal. At times there was meek surrender as they helplessly watched the government bulldoze through its agenda.
The ADR data reflects another grim reality that a government, like in Goa, which has an absolute majority, can muscle its way through the Opposition and make its role completely irrelevant. If we may recall, despite there being no consensus at the Business Advisory Committee meetings there was nothing that the Opposition could do to stop the government from going ahead with its agenda. And there were times when the government steamrolled through the bills without even engaging the Opposition in a debate.
The people of Goa are aware of the short sessions, and the ADR report is by no means a surprise. However, it is the average of 16 days that sends out an alarm. It raises questions whether our representatives have failed us. It raises questions over governments with brute majorities that literally have the mandate to bypass legislative processes and in the bargain avoid scrutiny. If development is the mantra, then are 16 days of House business enough to bring in reforms and accomplish plans? These and many more questions will come to haunt ordinary citizens as they brace up for another election.
