Parliament’s
functioning
Ever since the
2018 elections and the coming into office of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI)
government, parliament, particularly the National Assembly (NA), has resembled
more a fish market than the apex elected house of the people’s representatives.
The daily fare on the floor of the NA has consisted more than anything else of
personal attacks and objectionable and unparliamentary language being traded
across the aisles. This has led to innumerable walkouts by the opposition in
protest, rendering the NA dysfunctional if not paralysed as far as its assigned
role of legislation is concerned. The greater fault in this state of affairs
has to be assigned to the treasury benches, with the opposition retaliating in
kind. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) was wont to resort to such tactics in
the last NA when it was in the opposition and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
was in power. Taking a leaf out of their street language used to assail that
government during their protests on containers or otherwise, the PTI unfortunately
carried that barrage of bad language into the hallowed halls of parliament too,
thus setting a poor example of civilian democracy and parliamentary
conventions. Had this practice remained confined to when the PTI was in the
opposition, there may have been room for forgiveness on the grounds that it was
their inexperience and parliamentary immaturity that had been at work. But when
they have chosen to not only adhere to this bad practice after coming to power
(in controversial circumstances, it must be said) but arguably redoubled their
characteristic hurling of invectives at the opposition, particularly its
leadership, it should surprise no one that the other side has unfortunately
also chosen to reply measure for measure. The outcome of this brawling in the NA
can be discerned in its paralysis of normal day to day functioning, let alone taking
up its real responsibility of legislation. Running parliament is of course a
joint responsibility of both sides of the house, but a greater responsibility
lies on the shoulders of the treasury. After all it is their legislative agenda
the house has to deal with overwhelmingly. Six months down the road from the
2018 elections, the conspicuous absence of common civility let alone the
heights to which parliamentary proceedings are expected to soar has reduced the
house to a farce and legislative business to a nullity. It should be recalled
how in our history the dysfunctionality of parliament more often than not has paved
the way for military coups and dictatorship. A heavy responsibility therefore
rests on the shoulders of all members of parliament to check these unfortunate
tendencies and set an acceptable if not inspiring example for the people and
future generations so that Pakistan sees at last the consolidation and
continuation of a democratic order.
Given the bruising
experience of the last six months in the NA, it is a matter of some relief that
the realisation has set in that things cannot continue in this vein. Speaker of
the NA Asad Qaiser has constituted a 13-member Committee of the Parliamentary
Leaders to oversee and manage the conduct of MNAs in the house. The Speaker
will chair the Committee that will have all the heavyweights of our political dispensation
such as Leader of the House/Prime Minister Imran Khan, Leader of the Opposition
Shahbaz Sharif, former president and co-Chairperson of the Pakistan People’s
Party Asif Ali Zardari, Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid and other parliamentary
party leaders. Its main function will be to oversee, take note of and examine
matters related to conduct of the MNAs as per rules, practices and
parliamentary conventions, while addressing complaints about breaches of the
code of conduct. While this development is positive, there still exist
reservations, especially in the minds of the PML-N, regarding the cast of
characters in the Committee, some of whom have been at loggerheads in the past.
Nevertheless, it is incumbent on the MNAs as a whole, and the treasury benches
in particular, to render parliamentary proceedings civilised and functional, particularly
since the government enjoys only a razor thin majority in the NA and lacks a
majority in the Senate. The basic function of parliament to enact legislation
cannot be implemented without a minimum modicum of cooperation between the two
sides.
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