Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Elaborating on the importance of legislatures, Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on January 9, 2021, asserted that the legitimacy of legislators and lawmaking bodies is critical for effective functioning of parliamentary democracy backed by the much-needed trust and confidence of the people.
Noting that legislatures are the instruments of according legitimacy for the decisions of both the executive and the judiciary,Naidu raised the prospect of the very legitimacy of legislatures coming into question if they are dysfunctional and law makers do not enjoy the respect of the people they represent.
Speaking to the present and former legislators of Goa on the occasion of the ‘Legislators Day’ in Panaji, Naidu urged the law makers to ensure the legitimacy of the law making bodies through ideal behavior and effective functioning both within and outside the Houses, according to a PIB release.
The Vice President said; “It is the functioning of legislatures and law making bodies that can either make or mar any democracy. Their effective functioning forms the basis of people’s trust and confidence in parliamentary institutions. Unfortunately, there is a certain trust deficit with people’s perceptions about the legislators and legislatures being in the negative based on what they get to see and hear. This deficit needs to be addressed at the earliest.”
Urging the law makers to accord priority to the good and welfare of the people instead of being preoccupied with personal vocations and interests and empowerment of self, Naidu stressed, “Representing people is not a part-time activity and it shall be the prime responsibility if not fulltime. Proper commitment to the cause of the people flows from getting priorities right. Those who have no time for people better not enter the legislatures.”