Pushes for in-house panel to scrutinise bills
MAPUSA
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira on Friday accused government departments of delaying the vetting of private members’ bills moved by opposition legislators and said the move amounted to a breach of legislative privilege, as it prevented the Speaker from taking a decision on the proposed legislation.
Ferreira made the remarks after the government failed to list private members’ bills for discussion on the designated day.
Questioning why the Speaker’s Secretariat was dependent on government departments to vet such bills, Ferreira said the practice undermined the independence of the legislature.
“Why should the Speaker’s Secretariat be dependent on the government? The Speaker is expected to play a neutral role as the guardian of the Assembly. If departments are holding back these bills and not sending them for consideration, then according to me that amounts to a breach of privilege,” Ferreira said.
He suggested that the Legislature Secretariat should instead establish its own in-house committee to scrutinise private members’ bills and place them directly before the Speaker for a decision.
“The Secretariat of the legislature should have its own committee to vet these bills and submit them to the Speaker. They should not be sent to government departments because the government may not want such bills to come up for discussion,” he said, adding that several legislative assemblies and even Parliament follow such a system.
Ferreira also alleged that the government was reluctant to allow a debate on the bills as it feared being exposed on the floor of the House.
“When we protested at Azad Maidan earlier, we were told that the Assembly was the proper forum for discussion and that we should raise the issue in the House. Today we are ready for that discussion. Let the House decide who supports it and who opposes it,” he said.
He further claimed that he had received a copy of a letter sent by the Speaker to various government departments seeking vetting of the bills, which clearly mentioned that the legislation was to be tabled on March 13. However, the departments failed to meet the deadline.
Ferreira also pointed out that even some ruling party MLAs had raised concerns on the issue, noting that Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar had himself moved a private member’s bill seeking the scrapping of Section 39A.
Carlos Ferreira accused government departments of delaying the vetting of private members’ bills, preventing them from being discussed in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
The bills were not listed for discussion on the designated day (March 13) because the departments allegedly failed to send their vetting responses on time.
Ferreira said this delay amounts to a breach of legislative privilege, as it stops the Speaker from making a decision on whether the bills should be taken up.
He criticised the system where the Speaker’s Secretariat depends on government departments to review private members’ bills, saying it undermines the independence of the legislature.
Ferreira suggested the Legislature Secretariat should create its own internal committee to scrutinise private members’ bills and submit them directly to the Speaker.
He also claimed the government is avoiding debate on these bills, adding that even ruling party MLA Jit Arolkar had introduced a private member’s bill seeking the scrapping of Section 39A.
