Should elders behave like children?

When clouds gather in high skies they are usually accompanied by lightning. In the same manner whenever there is education, it should be accompanied by wisdom. Children, the future citizens of the world, have the responsibility to shape the future of the world. Students go through a process of learning in school as well as from their environments to acquire a certain amount of strength and character. With that strength they become governors to lead their countries.

New experience

With such feelings schoolchildren are paraded in batches to the Parliament whenever there are official sittings. In the absence of a subject called ‘Civics’ any more in school curriculum, it is a spanking new brain wave to offer school children a dash of ‘political experience’ by affording this rare opportunity to watch Parliamentarians in an August assembly with the fervent hope that children’s outlook would be expanded by giving an insight as to how Parliamentarians debate in the most esteemed conference in the country.

Drawing a parallel, it is thought that viewing such debates encourages children to take part in school oratorical contests and debates alike to sharpen their astuteness outside their school curriculum. As future citizens and leaders of the country, children are going to shoulder the ultimate responsibility for good governance.

They need to be moulded initially to become aware of their inner-self, through a substantial education. With that as a backdrop Parliamentary public gallery is packed to capacity with white uniformed schoolchildren whenever Parliament sessions are in progress.

The Sri Lanka Parliament, from the time of her independence from the British, has seemingly metamorphosed as a place that takes one back to one’s secondary school. At times it depicts the behaviour of a bunch of ‘ruffians’ if not, a team of incorrigible schoolchildren demonstrating their best performance! Here the normal disagreements in policy decisions can lead to protests and outrageous shouting and bellowing to the extent that the Speaker’s respect and commands are undermined. Instances are plenty where the Speaker of the House had to adjourn sessions and Police having had to remove difficult members physically out of the Chamber.

Attendants inside the House of Commons (British Parliament) once carefully helped a young and heavily pregnant woman into the front row of the public gallery. Two minutes later she lifted her smock, pulled out a polythene bag of horse manure, shouted an Irish slogan and spattered all over the MPs below when the Speaker shouted, “ Order”..... “Order”! The incident has gone down in history as the third encounter of the third degree in the UK Parliamentary history. I wonder how many young children watching the last week’s Parliamentary sessions felt like emulating the Irish woman with more pungent type of manure on misbehaved Parliamentarians just to remind the people’s representatives that they are not setting the right example to the budding rulers who are watching them from the gallery.

During undisciplined and boisterous debates in Parliament, should these innocent and young schoolchildren be subjected to sit in the gallery and watch bickering and squabbling that take place inside. This was categorically pointed out by learned opposition MP expressing his displeasure and reminding that young schoolchildren were watching them from the gallery.

Fear and havoc

The point in question is, should the children be exposed to some of those unruly Parliament Members as much as to those who suffer from insomnia at home and coming to relax and enjoy a siesta during such important debates suddenly getting jerked by a high pitched tone of an aggressive debater next to him and coming out with the “cream of Sinhala language” or an equivalent of a “ hear”.... “hear” ! This naturally tends to send a negative message on the most prestigious legislative association of the country to young minds. On the other hand, ‘bad guys on the show’ would not be bothered at all, for they know they are heroes in their own electorates as they amplify arrogantly.

The ill-fated incident of the young boy who had to swallow a five rupee coin out of sheer fear inside the Parliament building should be an eye opener to the organizers and administrators alike, who are responsible for bringing these youth from villages without proper briefing about the stringent security procedures that need to be followed prior to entry into the public gallery. Lack of commonsense on the part of organizers and teachers who brought this child is without proper advice and supervision would have been fatal if the boy chocked with the coin.

After all these trips to the Parliament at first are picnics and an outing. What can schoolchildren bring with them in such circumstances except for Rs 5 or 10 given to them by parents to buy an ice cream or sweets during their excursion. Naturally the Parliament is a high risk security zone where safety factor should be at its maximum, but should those who are responsible in bringing these innocent and the young also behave like children rather than using their grey matter and let their thought process work effectively to the extent that no harm or danger is caused to the visiting children.

It should be the responsibility of the elders, both administrators as well as the guardians of children, who bring children to the Parliament building liaise in advance with the relevant authorities and be mindful of the requirements, rules and regulations that are in force fully inside the Parliament building and brief the children accordingly.

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