- Like executive and judiciary, the legislators also must be trained
- Politicians must be trained and tested before they are allowed to represent people
Any work needs some skill related to it. All professionals like farmers, masons, roadside auto-mechanics, engineers, doctors, accountants, teachers receive some training before they start their work. Nobody entrusts work to a person not properly trained for it. But the case of politicians in India is different. They can become Chief Ministers or Prime Ministers too, instantly, even though some of them are not capable of uttering the oath they have to take while getting into responsible seats of power. If politics and politicians are in bad shape, more than they, we, who voted them to power, are to be blamed for electing them. We are empowering them to manage several lakhs of crores of our money and decide our future for the next few years without ever caring about the knowledge and the capabilities of those people.
Also read: Importance of Exams and Evaluation
Must acquire requisite knowledge
Just as persons related to Executive or Judiciary are appointed after acquiring necessary knowledge and training in their respective fields, Legislators also must come to power only after acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills to do their work properly. Gone are the days when a new recruit learnt work from a senior person in his office. Today right from LKG to PG ‘Project Work’ is being done by students and only those who can start working from day one are being recruited. For example an Engineering graduate selected for a Software job was given training by the company earlier. But today people are appointed only after they succeed in coding or writing programs. An IAS officer is appointed only after testing his knowledge, skills like ability to understand, to coordinate and to execute things with his common sense and also only after completing the training for the job concerned. But how politicians come to power is well known to each one of us. Using muscle power, money power, disintegrating factors like caste, religion, region and in some cases, even resorting to criminal acts has been the order of the day.
Also read: Pension
Academic qualification is secondary
Legislators may or may not have academic qualifications but they must possess brains to understand the way government functions, to identify issues to be discussed and be able to suggest solutions for problems people face. An ignoramus, elected by people most of whom do not understand the importance of vote, can do nothing in the respective legislative house. Years go by before he comes to know the happenings and the procedures to be followed. Monetary loss to the country because of such people is insignificant but the loss of time in developing the country is infinite. (A minister for 15 years did not think of having a 14 km road connecting his place and the National Highway). Japan was reduced to nothing in 1945 but is one of the top countries in the world now. We got independence in 1947 but are still struggling with lots of population living below the poverty line. The primary reason for this is that we or our leaders did not have a feeling of nationality or think of our national development seriously though something is being done in recent years. It is a matter of shame that an elected member thinks that he belongs only to a particular region which voted for him. For example an MLA has to think not only of his constituency but work for the welfare of entire state. Unfortunately there are very few legislators who realize this.
Also read: Rani Padmavati
Test for politicians
So, let us realize and rectify our mistakes. Electoral reform is a necessity of the day. Let us have a body like the UPSC to identify prospective politicians from ward member level to MP by conducting tests about one’s basic awareness of the country and its issues. Those who display adequate knowledge alone should be declared eligible to contest elections. Those who succeed in the contested election should undergo training about the procedures of the respective houses of representatives, their duties and responsibilities. Tests may be conducted at the end of the training and only those who succeed in them should become representatives of people. If this procedure is adopted it will reduce many of the problems inherent in the democratic set up and pave way for real development of a nation. Necessary constitutional changes may be made to make this a possibility in the interest of the nation. Like Executive and Judiciary, Legislators also must possess requisite skills to do their duties effectively for the welfare of the people they represent.
Also read: Economic Reforms
