People’s right to recall a representative

Somnath Chatterjee, The Speaker, Lok Sabha: Address on The Role of Parliamentary Democracy,

Hyderabad, 3 December 2005

As representatives of the people, we must closely follow even the subtlest changes in their needs, aspirations and grievances so that inputs from grass root level could be transferred to the decision making processes and through such endeavours, we will be able to help strengthen our parliamentary edifice. If any substantial segment of the population has reasons to feel strongly dissatisfied with the performance of the system, or for perceived failures in addressing genuine grievances, it is incumbent upon the system to apply democratic methods to address such issues.

Unfortunately, there is a justified strong feeling among the people that over the years there has been a decline in the standards of our Legislative bodies. We all need to remind ourselves, time and again, that democracy is a system based on dialogue and debate. It can thrive only if everyone involved demonstrate proper spirit of tolerance, dignified behaviour and an unconditional commitment to submit oneself to the norms of sound democratic practices. There is an urgent imperative to streamline our electoral and political system by completely neutralizing the role of money and muscle power and thereby help in creating more space for honest and capable persons to enter the institutions of democracy at every level.

It is of utmost importance that the members, chosen to represent the people, remain ever vigilant and sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the people and committed to serve them. At the same time, they should refrain from doing anything that could undermine the efficacy of Parliamentary democracy for the country. The people’s right to recall a representative who fails to live up to their expectations is an important democratic tool that can help in infusing a better sense of accountability among the legislators and I plead for its incorporation in our electoral system. Home Speaker's Office Role of Speaker Speeches