Ring of truth

The media, an important wing, is dominated by the corporate sector, which is on a spree to sell not realising that consumerism and commercialism which it has brought in the process is harming the country. Chatterjee's remark that P3 has become P1 has the ring of truth because the best of speeches in Parliament are ignored while some wishy-washy account appears. People are bound to infer that nothing worthwhile takes place in Parliament.

The demand that meetings of parliamentary committees should be open to the media is worth considering. But the problem will be what is newsworthy. When it comes to Parliament, the media has to bear in mind that the dignity and importance of the two houses should not be trifled with. Without the awareness of what is right, and a desire to act according to what is right, there may be no realisation of what is wrong.

The third pillar, the executive, has become weak because of that it does not serve Parliament members properly. Answers prepared to the questions asked are designed to cover the subject cursorily, not to inform. I recall when I was Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's Press Secretary he was once on the point of resigning. A joint secretary had prepared the answer in a beautiful language without divulging the information the member had sought. Shastri apologised the following day and submitted all the material that the government possessed. For many a public functionary the dividing line between right and wrong, moral and immoral, has ceased to exist.

In fact, the biggest dilemma Chatterjee faces is how to restore values and how to make the 700 million electorate act in a manner that the interest of the voters - in whom the sovereignty vests - remain intact. They have stayed marginalised for too long. They are still out in the cold. The exercise to reinvigorate Parliament will be judged in proportion to the plight of the common man improves.

The writer is a former member of the Indian Parliament and senior journalist

E-mail: knayar@nation.com.pk