Newly elected Speaker Thomas Sangma has said he will have to consult legal and constitutional experts to determine who to appoint as Leader of the Opposition in the 59 member Assembly. The Speaker says that a political party should get at least one-sixth of the seats in the House to qualify to be Leader of the Opposition. In the case of Meghalaya today, the Congress and TMC both have five MLAs each which individually adds up to one-twelfth of the total strength in the House. The VPP with 4 members has even less. The only way out of the predicament is for the three Opposition Parties to come together and decide who will lead the Opposition.
An Assembly without a clear Leader of the Opposition (LoP) will fail to represent the voices of the people and will also fail to keep a check on the government. The LoP is a shadow Chief Minister and his presence is critical in order to strengthen the democratic process. The absence of the LoP will mean that the Opposition will not be able to present a united front in opposing the policies of the ruling party which could at times be anti-people. It has been witnessed that in the Lok Sabha the presence of the LoP is a great check to the bulldozing tactics of the ruling party especially in these times. It is incumbent for the state assemblies too to counter the brute power of the ruling party/parties.
The LoP has an important role also because he/she can offer the administration a constructive critique on many issues. In the last House, Dr Mukul Sangma and his team of MLAs played a sterling role in pointing out the acts of omission and commission of the MDA Government and perhaps kept it in check to some extent. Constructive critiques especially from senior and experienced legislators also helps the government in policy and legislative actions. The LoP can also offer a different perspective that can help the government engage in alternative views other that do not violate legislative norms.
The LoP has a huge responsibility in also ensuring that Assembly committees are adequately represented and to ensure that the rights of minorities in any state are not violated. The LoP can demand that a session be called for debates when the government evades legislative scrutiny. He/she is also important in ensuring impartiality and bipartisanship in the nominations made to institutions that promote accountability and openness.
It is a sad commentary that Meghalaya has been reduced to a situation where no single political party has reached the one-sixth mark needed to occupy this important position.
