Parliamentary Business

Parliament is the supreme body to make new laws and amend the old ones necessary for the nation. Lawmakers should be given full-fledged responsibility to frame laws. The electorates have mandated them through voting to carry out the important legislative duty. The bills concerning the grievances of the people are amply deliberated on before they are refined and approved.  For this purpose, the government should give business to the members of parliament so that the sessions are productive, lively and result-oriented. This is the beauty of democratic governance that the government provides business to the House in the form of bills before converting them into laws following extensive deliberations. The current parliament is functioning after its formation following the general election last year, which is the second after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015. It is the matter of pride that the nation is in the progressive way to implement the new federal democratic and republican constitution. 

When the Parliament is able to move ahead with by ratifying the bills tabled to it without obstructions and delays, it can make desired contributions in the process of implementing the constitution. A parliamentary democratic system thrives and matures when the   parliamentary proceedings go about their regular business without delays and hindrance. This can happen only when the political forces represented in the parliament act with strong will power and commitment. There is no need to have any division of opinion and stance when its concerns the smooth functioning of the legislature. Differences, if any, can be sorted out by keeping the   larger interests of the people and the nation in the centre. There may be confusion and at times, tussles in the process of law making when the spirit of consensus lacks to put national interests above anything else. 

The political forces need to focus on the main agenda of the nation, that is, to overcome economic difficulties besetting the country, bringing people out of the clutches of poverty and creating an environment whereby people from all walks of life can benefit from the reward of development and prosperity. Problems faced by the people and emerging national issues draw the attention of the legislature and the representatives of the people raise their voice in the parliament regarding the need to draft a bill in order to address the issue. The members of the parliament call the attention of the government in this regard. Actions to be taken to tackle a problem need legal backing because in a rule of law, haphazard actions that do not have legal provisions can be challenged in the court of law. For this reason, formation of appropriate law is necessary. 

Bills are drafted by the government for which legal experts do their work in a meticulous manner. The bill is then registered at the Parliament Secretariat for parliamentary deliberations. If the bills remain stuck at the secretariat for a long time, it shows that the parliamentary jobs are not advancing in a smooth manner. There might be different reasons behind such delays and work accumulation but such situations mostly occur due to political reasons. This is because work laxity and delays at the top legislative organ of the state can reflect at other sectors as well. We have academic sessions to work smoothly in educational institutions. Other offices have schedules and set performance milestones to be completed. Such requirement should also apply at the legislature where the need of being accountable to the nation and the people is supreme.