An Alternative Political Culture

An Alternative Political Culture Romesh Thaper THE more the heat of summer drives our politicians, active and otherwise, to the gossipy confines of the central hall of Parliament, the more they titillate themselves with al! manner of permutations and combinations on possible constitutional changes. The discussion ranges from early elections to no elections, to extending Parliament's life from one to two years, from a presidential system to a directly- elected prime minister freed of dependence on legislators, from committee systems to replace lazy debates, which anyway lack a quorum, to limited parliamentary sessions. Each proposal is laced with authoritarian thinking, the sort that centralises power and makes it distant from the concerns of the people. But the puppet master, the lady of Ladies, is silent.