The Government we Deserve (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2:Polity 
Prelims level: Parliamentary system
Mains level: Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries

Context: 

• Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has very thoughtfully reopened the debate on the parliamentary versus presidential systems that had been dormantfor several decades. 
• He makes several valid points, including the propensityof lawmakers to defect at the drop of a hatin search of perks and offices, which he blames on the parliamentary system.
• Consequently, according to Tharoor, the system produces governments focused more on politics and personal aggrandisementrather than policy. 
• The sordidspectacle in Rajasthan bears testimonyto the lack of interest on the part of the executive and the legislature in policymaking and legislation, preoccupied as they are with retaining or capturing power. 
• Unfortunately, this continues to be true even when we are in distress today because of the pandemic.

 Lack of ideological commitment:

• It’s not certain that this is the fault of the parliamentary system. 
• The causes for the political malaisein India are manifold and they are not limited to a particular form of government. 
• The first is the lack of ideological commitment, with the exception of a substantial portion of the devotees of Hindutva, on the part of the political class. 
• Devoid of political principles many, if not most, politicians are up for sale. 
• For these immoral politicians, defection and party-hoppingare not serious political maladiesbut essential components of their political strategy to attain or retain power.

Unsuited for India:

• This is unlikely to change even if India moves to a presidential system. 
• First, it is probable that it will contribute hugely to an executive-legislature deadlock as a result of competitive buying. 
• It can also be the case where the legislature that is completely bought off by, and therefore totally subservientto, the executive by the offer of perks. 
• The latter will completely invalidate the basic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances that are essential pre-requisitesfor a presidential system.
• Second, caste and communal considerations play a big role in Indian elections. This is a societal virus that is unlikely to disappear by switching to a presidential system. 
• The same considerations will apply in choosing a presidential cabinet that affects cabinet formation in a parliamentary system. 
• It is utopianto assume that the president will choose his cabinet based primarily on considerations of merit. 
• In fact, leaving the choice of the cabinet to the whims and fanciesof the president will additionally vitiatethe process.
• Third, in the absence of a viable party structure, the presidential system will encourage even more irresponsible behaviour by elected legislators, especially those belonging to opposition parties. 
• Legislatures in the presidential system will become infinitely worse with both these characteristics on display on a much larger scale. 
• They are unlikely to transform themselves into genuinely deliberative bodies that Tharoor imagines they could become. 
• It is far more likely that they will turn into highly reckless gatherings engaged for personal gains.

 Political culture:

• The problem lies not with the parliamentary system but with the political culture of the country. 
• This is demonstrated above all by the way voters make their choices based on communal, caste and other primordial considerations and in response to emotional appeals rather than making informed choices about public needs and services. 
• The sorry state of India’s public health system during this pandemic is clear evidence that public health was not a consideration for the voters when casting their ballots in state and parliamentary elections. 
• The wasteful expenditure indulged in by governments is testimony to the callousness of the authorities as well as the apathy of the general public. 
• All this proves the truth of the maxim “people get the government they deserve.”
• Misplaced, indeed highly distorted, public priorities and the ingrained venalityof the political class are the root causes of the malaise in the Indian polity. 
• These twin factors and not particular forms of government are the independent variables that help explain the sorry state of democratic institutions.

 Conclusion:

• Indians will have to live with this situation until the political culture of the country at the popular level and at the level of the political class undergoes a radical transformation. 
• Changing the parliamentary form into a presidential one is not the panacea.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the India Ideas Summit 2020, consider the following statements:
1. The theme for this year’s Summit was ‘Building a Better Future’.
2. The Summit is being hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. 
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

Mains Questions:
Q.1) What do you mean bythe parliamentary system? Highlights it key features. What are the pros and cons? Distinguish between Parliamentary system and Presidential system.