Rejected MPs should have no place in the National List
If a government is supposed to be by the people and for the people why should MPs who have been rejected by the people be brought back into Parliament through the backdoor using the provision of the national list. What a mockery when parties hand over their individual national lists with names before election only to replace these names to accommodate shock defeats of MPs who have been rejected by the people. It is an affront to the names already given by parties when names are removed to include the names of MPs whom the people have rejected. What is the point in claiming to be following good governance when all political parties are guilty of bringing rejected MPs through the backdoor? These are politicians who know they cannot go before the people and win votes but somehow wriggle their way to enjoy 5 years of parliamentary privileges at the cost of the tax payers!
More often than not these rejected politicians who come through the backdoor without people’s mandate are given strategic portfolios too. Given that they have no clue as to what the common man’s needs are nor do they even care, the damage they do with their portfolios become irreversible.
In the history of the national list we can be proud of only one man’s entry without contesting election and that is the choice of late Lakshman Kadiragamar who did justice to being made an MP and Foreign Minister without having to contest elections. All others have done more damage than good.
Nowhere else in the parliamentary systems being practised is such malpractice taking place where rejected MPs some needing to be sent on retirement due to being over 75 years still clinging on to power and being accommodated through the national list which originally was meant to accommodate people of outstanding contribution to society.
However, instead of people of integrity being inducted the 29 seats of the national list has become a highway for the entry to all rejected MPs and old fossils.
Ideally the national list should be scrapped completely because people of integrity and those that contribute to society can be invited as advisors to committee level stages when bills are being drafted to obtain their inputs. Intellectuals do not need to be turned into politicians they can be tapped as per their expertise depending on the need by Parliament and a pool of such eminent persons can be given to the Speaker by the different political parties.
The national list is a violation of the voters rights given in the Constitution for 29 people are turned into politicians from the back door and adding further injury to the voters is to have MPs whom they rejected to be brought back in and given strategic portfolios as well.
This is a violation of the voter’s fundamental rights. The election commissioner must take a call as should the Attorney General.
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