I signed up for our policy club’s mock assembly because a friend asked me to. I expected a debating competition. What I got was a lesson in how difficult it is to make a law.
We were given a draft bill on regulating private coaching centres, and divided into a ruling coalition, an opposition and a group of independent members. We had a morning to read the bill and an afternoon to debate, amend and vote on it.
The first surprise was how much detail mattered. A single definition, of what counts as a coaching centre, decided who would be covered and who would not. We spent an hour on it.
The second surprise was how much I changed my mind. I began firmly in favour of strict regulation. By the end, after hearing from members playing small teachers and parents in rural areas, I voted for a much lighter version.
The third surprise was how hard compromise is when your side expects you to win. Members who negotiated with the other side were accused of betrayal by their own.
I came away with more respect for legislators, and more impatience with legislatures that pass laws without this kind of debate. I also came away wanting to do it again.
This piece was written as part of the Young Thoughts mentoring program. Views are the author’s own. [Placeholder publication.]