World | India
Conduct: Parliament panel puts onus on lawmakers
A parliamentary panel has proposed to empower the average citizen to complain to the Lok Sabha Speaker against lawmakers who violate the code of conduct.
- By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
- Published: 00:45 May 1, 2008
- Accountability: Parliamentarians are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions.
- Honesty: MPs must declare their private interest while dealing with public duties.
- Integrity: MPs should not undertake financial or other obligations from individuals that might influence their performance.
- Objectivity: MPs must make choices on merit.
- Openness: MPs must maintain openness and be able to stand scrutiny of their decisions.
- Public interest: MPs should measure up to the highest standards of public interest.
- Responsibility: MPs must take any decision after proper consideration.
- Selflessness: MPs must keep public interest above all and not be influenced by financial gains.
- Leadership: MPs should support and promote these principles by leadership and example.
New Delhi: Indian democracy could soon add another feather to its cap. A parliamentary panel has proposed to empower the average citizen to complain to the Lok Sabha Speaker against lawmakers who violate the code of conduct.
The brief to empower the common man is central to a set of recommendations prepared by a committee asked to evolve the much hyped code of conduct for lawmakers. The panel has recommended four types of punishment for violators - admonition, reprimand, suspension for a specific period and expulsion in extreme cases.
The 11-member committee headed by V. Kishore Chandra Deo of the Congress party tabled its report, complete with the recommendations, in the Lok Sabha yesterday.
The panel has recommended that violators be punished through the adoption of a motion in the House.
Legal action can also be initiated against a lawmaker if the misconduct amounts to a penal offence. This virtually amounts to taking away the immunity that parliamentarians currently enjoy in most cases.
The theme central to the report is that lawmakers are required to accord top priority to public interest and act in a transparent manner. To that end, it has suggested that wherever there is a conflict of personal and public interest, the latter must get priority. Lok Sabha members will be obliged to answer to standards of accountability, honesty, integrity, objectivity, openness, public interest, responsibility, selflessness and leadership if the committee has its way.
The report call on parliamentarians to support and promote these principles by leadership and example.
One of the most interesting recommendations is that all lawmakers must declare and vouch for their interests in a register maintained for the purpose in the secretariat during any communication with ministers, government departments or executive agencies.
The Lok Sabha is expected to adopt the proposed code of conduct during the ongoing budget session at a later date.
High standards
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