The Hindu : Experts should head statutory bodies: Malkani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 19, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Pondicherry

Experts should head statutory bodies: Malkani

By Our Staff Reporter

Pondicherry April 18. The Lt. Governor, K. R. Malkani, today said that only experts should head statutory bodies and corporations and MLAs should not be assigned the job.

Inaugurating a three-day national seminar on Constitutional Law organised by the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College here today, Mr. Malkani said that by and large whenever MLAs could not become Ministers they were assigned the posts of chairmen of boards and corporations.

While MLAs were important as they were acting as a link between the people and the government and were also full-time functionaries, the assignment of posts of chairmen to them would not be a correct procedure.

The seminar was organised to discuss the recommendations of the National Commission constituted for review of the Constitution and the academics and professionals were considering the recommendations for feedback.

Mr. Malkani said it would be a criminal act whenever elected representatives changed sides just for posts.

People were seen changing sides because of pressure and were consequently made Ministers. He felt that there should be a limit to the size of the Ministry and this aspect of the Commission's suggestion to keep the size to a reasonable limit was welcome.

Mr.Malkani said that the Commission's suggestion of making the oath of secrecy as oath of transparency was excellent in its intention. The State should not sit on information available to it and it should be made known.

He highlighted the excellent recommendations on various aspects of the Constitution. He called upon the delegates to think freely and act freely.

The Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, who presided, said that as the Territorial Assembly was currently in session, he would not be able to air his views freely. He said the National Commission was set up for review of the Constitution.

Whatever changes were contemplated or proposed, they should all be aimed at improving the lot of the poor and the have-nots. He called upon the participants to use the opportunity at the seminar and come out with views that would contribute positively to the development of the nation. The former professor of law in the Madras University and advocate, K. P. Krishna Shetty, said that to amend the Constitution was to improve the Constitution, which was the basic statute and law of all laws and it should not be to destroy the basic structure of the statute.

S. G. Bhat, principal of the college, spoke.

Delegates from different States and institutions are participating in the seminar.

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