Some people have rightly opined that in times of crisis it is better to have one central control rather than a multitude of small minds working together and bringing about a kind of chaos. Well, if a system can work better in times of crisis, I do not understand why it should fail when there is no crisis. Crisis is an extraordinary state of affairs, a really complicated and difficult state of affairs. If a system can work at such a time, it stands to reason that it will work and work smoothly when the times are normal. I, therefore, am of opinion that the non-parliamentary system by means of which the President who gets not less than 51 per cent of the votes of the entire Nation is a, better custodian of the Nation’s interests than the Prime Minister who, after all, represents only one constituency and the majority of his own party members. The Illustration which Mr. Tajamul Husain has given was a little amiss. He said that the Prime Minister can be elected by the Opposition and the Government party combined together. He gave an illustration that, if there are 100 men in one party and 50 in another, then at the time of electing the leader, 60 vote for one and 40 for another. ‘The man who was rejecting by his own party, and might have gone over to the other party, secures 50 votes from the second party and 40 from the first and gets elected in spite of the fact that the majority of his own party was not with him. That apprehension is perhaps, based on inexperience. In political parties the differences which exist inside are never Ventilated outside. A man who will betray his own party and go over to the opposition will not get a single vote of his own party. In. these says of democracy, such things are not possible. Rare instances of this nature may perhaps exist in one corner or other, but on broad outlines, you cannot have this kind of fissiparous tendency. Will the Opposition support a Quisling from the Government? How can that position be allowed ? He is not a partyman. That is a contingency which will not arise. But the possibility that a Prime Minister might represent only a minority of the House is worth considering. The system of party working is such that if you belong to one party and secure the votes you are likely and almost sure to get all the votes in the instance which Mr. Tajamul Husain gave, what: will happen is that the man who secures 60 votes out of 150 will ultimately be the Prime Minister. Now you ask the President to act not on his own judgment, but on the judgment of this man who secured A minority of the votes of the House. He gets 60 out of the 150 votes, of 40 cent only.
