Political stability key for progress

Let us resolve to continue making efforts to build a new structure for a better political system, a system that is stable and transparent

- Atal Bihari Vajpayee

The 50th anniversary of India's Independence is definitely an occasion to celebrate. But it is also an occasion for introspection, for taking stock of our system of governance and deliberating on what can be done to ensure both stability and accountability.

This means seeking a comprehensive answer to the question: Should we continue with the present framework of governance or should we make a radical departure and introduce changes in the system so that the lessons of the last 50 years are not wasted?

In view of the experiences of the past five decades, a section of the intelligentsia today strongly feels that parliamentary democracy has "failed" and that India should adopt an entirely new system, for example the Presidential system.

This view has gained ground in the past one year of increasing political instability in the country and decreasing account ability of the government. We all know that political stability is essential not only for maintaining law and order, but also to speed up the process of development.

Of course, stability does not mean statism. It means a government that can function with near, if not absolute, unanimity on matters of governance. This unanimity is provided by any single party's strength of numbers.

There are more than 100 parties in our country today. Thirty parties are in the Lok Sabha alone, not to speak of smaller parties. Today we have one-man parties, without any ideological identity or organisational apparatus. One such party has only one member who is a minister! Another party has only two members who also are ministers. One Prime Minister has been removed; another has taken his place. The government comprising 13 parties, now 14, is dependent on outside support from two parties.