The proceedings of the ongoing Meghalaya Legislative Assembly sessions are live streamed for interested viewers to follow what’s being debated in the August House. The word ‘august’ has several synonyms such as dignified, stately, noble etc. Words and language used in the Assembly are carefully weighed by each elected representative. The Assembly is a temple of democracy where decency in speech and behaviour is the least that is expected of every member. The role of the Speaker is to ensure that members do not overstep their limits and to expunge unparliamentary language. Sadly, on Monday September 12, the Meghalaya Assembly which was once known to have members that were not just political heavyweights but also strictly conscious of the language they used, has now fallen from grace as one MLA allowed anger and frustration to get the better of him and he let out an obscenity. Whether the Speaker heard what was said is debatable since the member sputtered on about the subject of his ire.
That cuss word will be expunged from the records but the video has gone viral. This, after all, is the era of social media when news and views travel at lightning speed and are interpreted in varying ways depending on the social milieu that a person is part of. Some may laugh it off; others will consider it an unpardonable social slur. Good breeding appears to be a thing of the past as invectives have become part of youth and adult lingo in this day and age. Be that as it may, the Assembly is still a place where decorum rules and should be observed if democracy is to thrive.
No less than the former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind had on November 25, 2020 reminded all elected representatives to engage in a healthy dialogue in Parliament and legislative Assemblies and refrain from using unparliamentary language during debates. In July this year Parliament came up with a tome on what words constituted unparliamentary language. They included not only English words but also several Hindi phrases such as Jumla Jeevi words that were used extensively to define the Demonetisation that happened in November 2018. Other words and phrases included ‘crocodile tears,’ ‘snoop-gate’ and even a common term like ‘corrupt’ among others. While this list is over the top, what was uttered in the Meghalaya Assembly is not even printable. It violates the sensitivities of a society known for good conduct and social graces, no matter how provocative the situation. While gutter language exists in human society, the Assembly is a space of decorum where students come to learn how to debate with elan and without hurting the sentiments of rivals. What would have been the scene had there been visitors or students in the gallery on September 12?
