Privileges of the privileged

A private members’ bill that was hurriedly passed on June 16 by the Senate was the latest example of the absolute tone-deaf politics and politicians we are stuck with. The Chairman Senate (Salaries, Allowance and Privileges) Bill, 2023 was reportedly moved by around 40 members, including PPP senators Raza Rabbani, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Farooq H Naek and the PTI’s Shahzad Waseem. Under this proposed law, extraordinary facilities will be provided to the Senate chairman and his family at the cost of public money. The lavish perks include Rs5 million as furnishing cost for the Senate chairman’s official residence, and allow the chairman to requisition an airplane or a helicopter belonging to the federal government, provincial government, armed forces of Pakistan, any flying club in Pakistan or any chartered air service provider. Under the proposed law, the chairman will also be entitled to discretionary grants. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The nine-page bill has many more perks and privileges that the current chairman of Senate and former chairs of Senate may avail. The bill was passed hurriedly in the Senate last week, and would have likely gone under the radar had the news not caught media attention. Following the backlash, the PPP leadership has announced that they will oppose the law and block it in the National Assembly. While some members of the Senate said they confused this bill with another bill related to their own salaries – Members of Senate (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 2023 – others like Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and Khurshid Shah defended it.

At a time when the country is in economic dire straits, it is astonishing that the members of the Upper House would have even thought of moving a bill like this. It is believed that senators from across the political spectrum moved this as a private members’ bill and would not have said anything had it not been for the media-led backlash. It is now being painted as a ‘private member bill’ but we wonder: how private is such callous disregard for the country’s suffering people? Lest this be forgotten, this is hardly the first time our ‘representatives’ have tried to press their luck in getting more and more pelf. Over the years, some of the most obnoxious attempts have been made to acquire more in terms of perks and privileges by members of parliament.

Parliamentarians are supposed to be the representatives of the people of Pakistan and are supposed to bring in legislation that helps the people. Not so much here, where not a single institution in the country feels any kind of guilt in taking from taxpayers money. Young Pakistanis are leaving the country for greener pastures and better opportunities even at the risk of their own lives. As regular Pakistanis brace for worse economic times, our legislators forget that people are literally dying just to get away from the misery that we are in because of an apathetic state that can’t see beyond rentier policies. Whether heatwaves or hunger, terror or inflation, what if anything has parliament done to help the people? Crying democracy is great for a political rally but most people live their lives just trying to figure out how to place one meal on the table. So, while it’s great that the PPP has decided to oppose the chairman Senate bill, it would have been even better if those 40 senators had read the bill before putting their names to it and if they did read it, had been ashamed that they were actually putting their names to a bill that reeks of a privileged class oblivious to how difficult life has become for people in the country. This may be expecting far too much from a rentier class, but when even parliamentarians seem to be finding their perks and privileges less than what they need, where does the ordinary Pakistani go?