The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 326
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmaimyya I t i s w r o n g t o I n s i s t u p o n O n e ’ s O p i n i o n The delegates should express their opinions only when they are asked to do so, and they should stop immediately when asked to stop. They must not insist on their point of view. In this context, Hadrat Musleh-e-Mau‘udra said: “The proceedings o f Mushawarat w ill now begin. I would like to advise friends to make sure that no time is wasted. Let there be no repetition in the speeches, and when all the arguments have been put forward, no one should stand up to speak unless he has some new argument for or against the proposal, and unless he is asked to do so. For better management o f the proceedings, I usually ap point an assistant and I shall do the same now. When he announces that delegates who wish to speak on a particu lar issue should give in their names, they should give their names. They should also say whether they w ill speak for the proposal or against it. And when he asks them to stop speaking, they should do so at once and should not insist on completing their speech. Consulta tion is important but this does not justify violation o f the rules. Even if your advice is a useful one, it should be rendered in keeping with the rules. If you sit down when you are told, your advice w ill produce better results. ” [Report Majlis-e~Shura 1936, pp. 47-48J P r o p e r P r o c e d u r e f o r D e b a t e Although, as mentioned previously, a specific procedure has been laid down for enlisting the names of those who wish to comment on the recommendations o f a sub committee, it is quite possible that a very useful sugges tion might occur to a delegate during the discussion. In 326