Need for interplay between public opinion, lawmakers: Joshi

Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi today underlined the need for constant interplay between public opinion and law-making activity of the state so that social tensions and legal norms get harmonised.
The senior Parliamentarian also said that the objective of laws should be to provide distributive justice, social empowerment and affirmative action to bridge the yawning disparities, protection of basic human rights and individual dignity.
"The rule of law is not confined with rule by law as it may become an instrument of oppression and individual caprice," he said.
Joshi, who is chairman of the Estimates Committee of Parliament, was addressing delegates from 25 countries at an international programme in legislative drafting in Parliament.

"It is vitally important that there is constant interplay between public opinion and law making activity of the state so that social tensions and legal norms get harmonised," he said.
Joshi called for more involvement of public in the legislative process to ensure that their views are taken on board, for which he advocated the use of social media to reach out to the urban population and sought evolving other means to reach out to the rural folk.

"We need to find out ways and means of reaching out to them. Their views must be echoed and assimilated in framing the law," he said.

Stressing that laws are meant for the common people and represent the will of the people, Joshi said legislative drafting should be done in such a manner that the language should be simple, should have clarity, and any ambiguity and contradictions should be avoided to ensure obedience by all.
He said in a democratic society, governance is carried out in accordance with law and the aspirations of people should be its foremost basis.
"That is why, in order to achieve good governance, we need good laws and to make good laws, we need good legislative draftsmen," he said.
Joshi said the act of legislture should ensure that the will of the people should be transformed into the will of the state and a law represents the will of the sovereign.

"That is why, legislations should reflect the collective will of the society," he said, adding that for this the active participation for people is essential.