Asim Shah, a member of parliament from Rastriya Swatantra Party under the proportional representation system, describes his nine-month in parliamentary practice as 'not satisfactory'.
Both the House and the government have failed to become action oriented, he said during a dialogue with the RSS. "In the beginning, we were in the process of learning. But as we understood, we realized that the parliament is run as per the wishes of the ruling party", MP Shah said.
Despite our repeated request not to block the house, the parliament was blocked by both the ruling party and the opposition. Shah says that after he became a Member of Parliament, he has become clear about why the House is blocked and how to open it.
Pointing out the need for a calendar to run the Parliament effectively through the Parliament Secretariat, he said though there was a discussion about the need for a calendar in the Parliament, the House did not respond to it positively.
Furthermore, parliamentarians who have to play a legislative role are more focused on how to get a budget for their respective constituencies. Shah argues that it is necessary to explain to MPs what their role is and should be brought to the attention of the citizens as well. "The expectations of citizens from parliamentarians are old fashioned", he said.
Calling the accusations and counter-accusations between the parties inside the house a battle of egos, MP Shah says that because of it some issues are being exaggerated while important agenda get overshadowed.
We have been raising our voices to discuss every issue of public concern. But so far that has not happened", says Shah.
He believes that the role played by the ruling party and the opposition will determine how effective the House will be. He alleged that some parliamentarians do not even know what topics are being discussed in the House and Committees and what topics to talk about when they go there.
Expressing the reading to shoulder the responsibility as an MP, Shah said however the environment is not conducive for it. "Everyone in the House talks good but that has not translated into action in transforming the nation."
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