Deepening Democracy: Need for Capacity Building
Like
any other organization, in the case of democratic institutions too, officers
and staff working in the Legislative Bodies require training and exposure to acquaint
themselves with the latest developments, so that they can assist elected
representatives to perform their manifold roles efficaciously. Parliamentarians
of today have varied functions to perform, apart from their conventional
representational role, more so in the context of the Parliament itself evolving
as a multi-functional institution. Parliamentarians have to be well-versed with
issues like the primacy of Parliament in a democratic polity, procedural
mechanisms available to them to raise matters on the floor of the House,
practices and procedures of the Parliamentary Committees, privileges of members
and the House, parliamentary conventions, traditions and etiquette, etc., if
they have to emerge as effective representatives. They also have to be
thoroughly familiar with the importance of bicameralism, the legislative and
budgetary processes, Legislature-Executive relations and the relationship among
the Organs of State. Besides, they have to have a sound understanding of the
functional dynamics of parliamentary institutions, how to secure Executive
accountability to the Legislature in all its manifestations and the pulls and
pressures of democratic politics.
All
these call for continuous efforts to facilitate capacity building among members
of Parliament, besides parliamentary staff. This becomes all the more important
in an increasingly information-driven world order wherein the utmost emphasis
has to be laid on the development of informed parliamentarians, and
parliamentary officials who can adequately support them. Since effective and
efficient working of Parliaments calls for constant upgrading of the skills of
the parliamentary staff in particular, there is a need for their extensive as
well as intensive training. Such measures will assist Members of Parliament and
parliamentary staff to maintain the highest standards of professional
excellence.
It
has also to be appreciated that there are various stakeholders who make a
parliamentary democracy work successfully. Besides parliamentarians and parliamentary
staff, these stakeholders include the media, the Civil Service, the academic
community, including students, and the citizens at large. In the course of its
evolution, parliamentary democracy has evolved several highly specialized
procedures and processes, of which legislators, policy-makers, administrators
and others should have a good knowledge. And it is only the institution of
Parliament, which can impart such knowledge to all stakeholders of democracy.
Thus, the onerous task of conducting relevant studies and enabling the required
orientation and training of the stakeholders primarily falls on the Parliament
itself.