Legislators and their Qualifications

By

Anthony Akinola

MOST people say politics is a dirty game, but the truth of the matter is that, for better or for worse, decisions made by politicians affect our lives. Their decisions could mean there is more money in our bank accounts, and it could also mean premature death for some of us if, for instance, they plunge our nation into a state of war! Because of the enormous powers wielded by politicians, not least the elected ones, it would be foolish not to be interested in the sanity and maturity of their members. It is precisely because of this that constitutionalists, even when they are not prepared to throw themselves in the mud with politicians, dissipate much energy in prescribing qualifications for the power elite at different levels of political governance.

Age prescription, in particular, is universal in most democratic nations with written or unwritten constitutions. In the United States of America, for instance, there are minimum age requirements for president, senator and member of the House of Representatives. However, because it is taken for granted that those who aspire into those high profile positions would be more likely than not to be educated, educational requirement is hardly emphasised in the Constitution. A successful actor or golfer is not, in any way, less esteemed than a university professor in the eyes of the American voter. Hence the Ronald Reagans, and hence the suggestion enthusiastically made by a sports commentator that Tiger Woods could be the first black president of the United States.

There is a lot of premium on age in the Nigerian society. The "I am older than you" attitude knows no ethnic or religious boundary. It was therefore not surprising that when our constitutionalists copied the American Constitution the imperative of age qualification was one the photocopying machine could not have blotted out without a public outcry! Because age is probably more important to us than the Americans, and because of the assumption or belief that we are late in maturing it was also one aspect where our constitutionalists tried to teach the Americans the meaning of respect and deference.

The House of Representatives is that political arena where the American constitutionalists and political thinkers believe young men and women, even in their early twenties, could exert their aggression as constituent emissaries, but our current Constitution made its entry point for 30 year olds, and the members of our current committee on the legislature= in the National Political Reform Conference think the bar should further be raised to 35. In a society where life expectancy is not particularly too great, theirs may be one suggestion that has gone a bit too far and should be challenged.

Also to be challenged is the suggestion that legislators should be university graduates with the minimum of five years experience (Senate) and 10 years experience (House of Representatives). There is no doubt that the art of lawmaking demands quality thinking and quality understanding and articulation of issues. In the United States of America , for instance, the House of Representatives is one forum where young professionals, particularly lawyers, come in to make names for themselves before embarking on their professions. However, the quality of mind and determination needed to represent ones constituency cannot be confined to those with degrees, hence the need not to turn our legislative assemblies into postgraduate institutions.

The quality of education in Nigeria is falling fast, and that should be addressed. Most of our First Republic great debaters never went to university. Even in Great Britain, where the educational system has a history dating back to over one thousand years, there are today Members of Parliament who did not attend university because they had no need for university education.

And to talk of experience, that is one area in which one is confused because our delegates to the national confab have themselves demonstrated inexperience by mooting their suggestion. What experience does one require in the legislative arena that excludes the apprenticeship we all serve in every call of life? The young men and women should be encouraged to bulldoze their way into the Senate and House of Representatives and seek to become legislative dinosaurs or gurus by virtue of being constantly re-elected because of their loyal services. In Britain there are MPs who have been in the House of Commons for well over twenty-five years, and one dinosaur of the American Senate that is known to all of us is Senator Edward Kennedy; he has been serving his Massachusetts constituency since the 1960s. The legislative arm of government is that arena where the term of office for its members should not in any way be limited by the constitution.

* Akinola lives in Oxford, England

This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system. Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the sender immediately. Please note that the BBC monitors e-mails sent or received. Further communication will signify your consent to this.