The US Senate is on the cusp of finalising its first bipartisan gun control bill in almost three decades. The proposed deal is far less ambitious than the proposals US President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party have made. Nevertheless, if passed, a country rocked by mass shootings in recent weeks will mostly welcome it.
It will also be a good day for bipartisanship, a perennially endangered species in Washington.
However, it is important to note that polarisation in the US, and the resulting stasis, is less a structural problem than it is a cultural one. Americans are living in a zeitgeist of political dysfunction, but zeitgeists change with time. Moreover, as demonstrated over the past week, bipartisan consensus on contentious issues such as gun control isn’t impossible.
Legislators in India can seldom live in such hope. They, too, confront polarisation daily. But theirs isn’t simply a damning indictment of the times. It is also the unintended outcome of a law that’s been baked into the Indian Constitution since 1985, and needs amending.
In this so-called Anti-Defection Law lies a provision that states that any member of India’s Parliament or state assembly will be disqualified if he or she “votes or abstains from voting in the House, contrary to any direction issued by his [or her] political party”.
Polarisation in the US is less a structural problem than it is a cultural one, as opposed to India
In other words, there is no room whatsoever for legislators representing any party in India to vote according to the wishes of their constituents, or even their conscience, if that would mean going against the directives of their high command.
While all parties have clearly articulated manifestos, few politicians agree on every single issue. And yet, within legislatures, the law has granted an indiscriminate amount of power to party leaders and whips, whether in government or in opposition, and reduced many well-meaning, independent-minded and issue-driven legislators to glorified rubberstamps. This has undermined the country’s legislative process and weakened legislatures that for decades acted as an effective counterweight to the already-powerful executive branch.
This stands in great contrast to Mr Biden’s inability to cajole fellow Democratic politicians in the Senate and the House of Representatives – especially those who represent conservative, Republican-leaning states or districts – to sign on to his big-spending, liberal agenda.
And yet, it is hard to see why Mr Biden would be tempted to use such a law (even if there was one) to crack the whip on his party colleagues. Certainly not when, rare though it may be, he and his party have the incentive to corral support from Republican legislators on less contentious but no less important bills.
It might be a different story in the UK, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for instance, might be more tempted to wield such a law, if he had the option.
Earlier this month, Mr Johnson withstood a robust challenge from 148 fellow Conservative members of Parliament to win an intra-party confidence vote. He could still be forced out of Downing Street, well before the next general election in 2025, given sagging public support over a scandal that refuses to disappear and the poor state of the UK economy.
Regardless, it will come as a surprise to Indian political watchers that it was the ruling party’s “backbenchers” – rank-and-file legislators who fall low in the pecking order – who initiated the confidence vote against Mr Johnson. This would be unthinkable in India, where, thanks to the Anti-Defection Law, it is impossible for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fellow Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, including his immediate rivals, to speak up against him in Parliament – let alone initiate a confidence vote against him. This is the case even though Mr Modi has faced a number of political headwinds since coming to power eight years ago, including a deadly second coronavirus wave last year.
Like the BJP, Mr Johnson’s Conservative party enjoys a majority in Parliament, too, but what gives Mr Modi untrammelled authority is the Anti-Defection Law. Of course, his immense popularity – he polled at 77 per cent as recently as March – makes a leadership challenge in the BJP a non-starter. But it will eventually happen, and when it does, the challenger is likely to emerge from inside the party’s opaque backroom, far from the public glare. This is already unlike Mr Johnson’s out-in-the-open “trial” in Parliament, which will have affected public perceptions of him as a leader.
Furthermore, few bills that Mr Modi or his Cabinet table in Parliament today face any meaningful opposition in the lower house. In fact, many bills have been rammed through, often without debate or discussion – and, sometimes, with dire consequences.
A case in point is a set of three agriculture laws passed in September 2020, which all the country’s major farmer groups viewed as lacking in economic protections to farmers against the vagaries of the market. Tellingly, it wasn’t parliamentarians but thousands of protesting farmers who eventually forced the government to repeal the laws last year, as the BJP feared repercussions for itself in approaching state elections.
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To be sure, the rationale behind passing the Anti-Defection Law made sense in 1985. Through the late 1960s and 70s, up to 50 per cent of legislators reportedly switched political parties across the country. But, given that some parties have in recent years found ways to exploit inherent loopholes and engineer defections in various states, the law in its current form has passed its use-by date.
The solution isn’t to dispense with it entirely, which would be impossible and wrong, but to close outstanding loopholes to ensure zero defections. This could take time but meanwhile, a less fraught but necessary first step would be to create another provision in the law that would free up legislators to vote independently, irrespective of their parties’ policy platforms, on all bills – except those pertaining to confidence votes and picking leaders.
Such a compromise will ensure that parties continue to enforce discipline but also re-empower legislators. Debate and discussion, still at the heart of legislative politics in India, will no longer be just perfunctory, as they will now be used to swing votes one way or the other.
In a column for The National, Gavin Esler wrote that around the globe “it is surely long past time to recognise that party loyalty and sectional interest are the problem”. Party politics cannot be done away with, at least not in the near term. But by clearing the way for politicians to cross party lines purely for policymaking purposes will mitigate, at least to some extent, the rampant polarisation that is prevalent in Indian politics today.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More on Quran memorisation:
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
