The Moily Committee report is out. The second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by former Karnataka Chief Minister Verappa Moily has recommended major changes to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to virtually compel elected representatives to seek re-election if their parties change coalitions or realign midstream, and barring people charged of heinous crimes from contesting elections. These are just two among the slew of measures recommended in the report presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday. As much as the proposals are indeed ground breaking and some would suggest excessive, the Moily committee has done a good job with some bold thinking to ensure accountability and transparency in the vital area governance at all levels. Given that a bulk of the ARC recommendations relate to bureaucrats and politicians, it is obvious that there is concern over the misuse of power and office by those who run the affairs of the State. And the Moily report has done well to get to the root of the problem, which is the best way to reform the system.
While the ARC report is recommendatory in nature and the governments are not duty bound to implement it, the UPA government in the Centre has a moral responsibility not to turn a blind eye to the report. Likewise the suggestions put forward can be valuable inputs for similar reforms in a State like Nagaland, where a similar exercise is underway. Given the overreaching suggestions made, which is aimed at cleansing the body politic, it should not be surprising at all if there is stiff opposition in the implementation of the Moily report. There is no doubt that the ARC report will surely test the willpower of the political class. For the ruling UPA government the very purpose of setting up the ARC without acting on its recommendations will spell doom for its credibility. The Prime Minister and the UPA Chairperson as such should now do the proper thing by initiating steps to get a broad consensus amongst political parties to get the laws amended in order to accommodate some of the required changes.
One of the recommendations that need prior attention in terms of its practical applicability is the suggestion to amend the Constitution to ensure stability of coalition governments. Given that achieving one-party rule is near to impossible in the present political landscape in the country what with regional and other smaller parties coming to the fore, there is a need to discourage opportunists from defecting and rocking the stability of governments and avoiding costly mid-term elections. The specific dose of medicine for this ailment has been provided in clear terms by the Moily report, which needs to be seriously considered. The ARC has called for an amendment to even disqualify people facing charges “related to grave and heinous offences and corruption”. If implemented, this would bar hundreds of legislators in the country and across the political spectrum from contesting the elections. The two above measures will go a long way in creating accountability to people’s mandate and cleansing the electoral process of criminal elements.
