Devolving power

It appears that the general election is just a matter of a few days now. The if/buts and hypothetical situations are being put to rest as finally the certainty of a procedural transition of power is being established by all quarters.

But, while every mainstream political party is right to encourage and appreciate political participation, a few pertinent questions beg the attention of all. Are polls solely the answer to our complex administrative governance quagmire? Can Pakistan claim to be a functioning democracy on February 9 – a day after the polls – or will it remain merely a procedural democracy even after the exercise that all political parties are supporting?

Now that is where the buck stops. While we all should stand with democracy and a smooth transition of power, it is a grim fact that only a minority in the current political spectrum values the essence of democracy - which rests with the devolution of power, an idea of governance that is far beyond just conducting polls.

In our present system of governance, the power is concentrated in five big offices – a prime minister and chief ministers of four provinces. This is where the buck stops, and this is where the rot begins. We may hold successive elections according to whims and wishes but until and unless this structure is changed, our governance challenges will remain as strong as they are right now. This is not democracy – this structure is everything that is against the idea of democracy.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has remained in the political process of the country for over three decades. We have seen the intricacies of governance, and our lawmakers have seen the governance structure and its limitations. And with all our experiences, as a party we have come to the conclusion that nothing is more detrimental to the federation of Pakistan than this weak concentrated power structure that caters to only the political elite of this country at the expense of the man on the street. This needs to be changed immediately.

The 18th Amendment was a step in the right direction. In its ambition to take fiscal powers from the centre to the provinces in spirit catered to the desires of the citizens of Pakistan. But it fell short – and dare I say very miserably. For the residents of Karachi, the amendment just ensured the transition of resources from Islamabad to the Chief Minister House, nothing more than that, while the governance challenges remained as they were. At a time when Pakistan is facing multifaceted challenges, it is time we ensured an institutional change with the admission that the current system is not working.

We propose three major points for the constitution – defining the power of local governments, specifically mentioning every department under their authority; forming a Provincial Finance Commission like the NFC; and making local government elections before the general election a constitutional requirement.

These three amendments in the constitution do not cater to or favour any one political party or any one specific region of the country. It considers strengthening the deteriorating bond between the state and the citizen. The point is to make the accessibility of resources to the union councils better than anywhere else. Allow me to say that anything other than that is a smokescreen or worse akin to treating a chronic illness with painkillers. It has not worked, it is not working nor is it going to work in the future – no matter how hard one can try.

The MQM-P will be contesting the polls with all its political might, which we believe was snatched in the last elections for reasons known to everyone. This time we believe that the voter will give the mandate of Karachi to the people s/he genuinely connects with. We are expecting good results; a sizeable number of lawmakers will reach the avenues of parliament with the votes of our electoral support base and charged leadership. But being in the lower and upper houses of parliament will mean nothing to us without making an impact on our constituents. This is why it is now our policy decision that any party that wishes to make an electoral alliance with us after the polls will have to support us in getting these amendments passed from both houses.

The deal is simple: Support us in getting the amendments passed and we will give the support in the houses wherever it is required.

That Pakistan is at a crossroads is a cliche we have been hearing since childhood, but that Pakistan is in a governance crisis is a reality no one can ignore. It is a wild elephant in the room that can only be tamed or pushed out through institutional restructuring, where the power does not rest with big political houses but with people who live among the people.

Either convince us that there is a better alternative or support us. One thing is for sure: we have committed to our constituents that we will be playing a substantive role in national politics in light of these proposed amendments after February 8.

The writer is a senior member of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).