Celebration or rhetoric at play?

Head of PPP Media Cell

Three years of the PTI government have gone past relatively quietly like damp-squib. The main reason may be for the want of worthwhile achievements to celebrate as the economic indicators of the economy suggest it is not even in the proximity of getting out of wood yet. The prognosis are not encouraging either, notwithstanding the official mantra of cutting the corners progressively. Probably, fearing the retribution of the people, the government decided not to boast about its performance as it might be felt as rubbing salt into the wounds of the poor who seemingly had run out of patience. The middle class has become poor and the poor as destitute. The 10% devaluation of the rupee against dollar during the last three months has indeed sharpened the edge of inflation to bleed the purchasing power of the poor masses to the hilt threatening their very subsistence. They spend all of their earnings on food items. Yet 38% poor are food insecure with 18% go to sleep hungry. It is not partisan view, but World Food Programme’s findings maintain so. But, mandarins’ conscience remains impervious. The unstoppable inflation frenzy has indeed been wresting the last morsel from the mouths of the impoverished strata of the population. This catapult momentum may surely force them to take the streets. The sound of the pounding of their feet may deliver the message -- enough is enough and no more. Government may seriously consider taking immediate tangible steps to control the conflagration of inflation to ward off the consequences those are not difficult to imagine.

Frustrating parliamentary politics, foreign policy debacles, controversial accountability, surge of extremism, hellfire of inflation, spiraling unemployment, muzzling of media, may be the deplorable bi-products of the ‘highbred system’ that was thrust upon the people in 2018 through the controversial elections, according to the well-entrenched perception further solidified by the findings of the credible organisations (EU, Pildat, Pakistan Human Rights Commission, media). The perception seemingly had attained almost finality ushering in an era of vicious circle of miseries threatening the survival of the majority of the people.

The symptoms of social upheavals as collateral may not be wished away. Poor people simply are unable to cope with the devastating accumulative impact of the rising prices of food items and utility services leaving them with no money to spend on health and education. The end of the night of their sufferings apparently remains elusive, haplessly. COVID-19 has also taken its toll on lives and livelihood of the people despite the pro-active implementation of the strategy to stem the COVID-19 rampage by the NCOC.

More than ten million people have already been pushed below the poverty line, still counting, due to killing inflation and the unemployment during the three-year tenure of the PTI government, according Pakistan Institute of Economic Development, Islamabad, testifying the apprehensions of the latest Economic Survey of Pakistan. The touching of the unemployment figures to 55 million should be major cause of worry as it was 35 million before 2018.

The claim of creating ten million jobs has seemingly disappeared from the party play book since long ago. The government leadership apparently looks like a helpless bystander with no coherent strategy to address the situation that continues to loom larger with every passing day. The appalling trade deficits along with the decline in FDI are not good omen to be optimistic. Official endeavours are not seemingly bearing fruit to reverse the trend. Giving the benefit of doubt, the masses had been clutching at between the hope and somewhat despair during the last couple of years, but after three years they seemingly had been overwhelmed with despondency with fainted hope of better days during the foreseeable future. The official rhetoric of ‘Tabdeeli’ now sounds like a rude joke. The government’s leadership seemingly realising the gravity of the emerging situation has lately embarked upon a launching spree of mega projects in its bid to keep the hopes alive but to no avail. People are seemingly least impressed by the government’s flip flops as the voices of misfeasance of the administration are too loud to dissipate.

The parliamentary politics is also in total disarray as the government’s apathy towards it may be so pronounced. Parliament is the highest representative forum meant for the legislative business focused to represent the people to address their problems through legislation reflective of collective wisdom of the House. It should be the place of enlightened debate, scrutiny and legislative business like in the civilized and developed countries of the world. Unfortunately, the incumbent Parliament is miles away from such an eminence where name calling, use of unsavory language and obnoxious behaviour have become norm rather than exception. Not surprising, the performance of the Parliament in the context of legislative business has been miserably poor and the prospects of the course correction remain naught in the wake of pontification of the treasury benches.

Instead, the government has found the way out in the form of the promulgation of ordinances thus berating the stature of the Parliament without an iota of remorse. In parliamentary democracy, government consists of executive, judiciary and parliament where the supremacy of the parliament is universally recognised as such. Unfortunately, the incumbent government considers the Parliament as an Achilles heel rather than the highest and dignified representative forum of the nation where matters of national importance should be discussed threadbare to formulate public policy guidelines to solve the problems besetting the country. The ruling leadership even has not paid heed to the demand of the Opposition to discuss and evolve Afghan policy in the Parliament as the national security is at stake. Instead, executive branch of the government has been calling the shots with no-holds- barred.

The major responsibility, of course, lies on the shoulders of the treasury benches in general and on the leader of the House in particular. PM rarely shows up in the House reflecting his level of fondness or otherwise of the Parliament and the parliamentary politics. How unbecoming of the leader of the House who has not even met the Opposition leader face-to-face during three years on matters of immense national importance cropping up in between.

Even the constitutionally mandated consultations have been executed through the correspondences. The sheer reluctance may not be justified under any criterion in a functioning democracy. Prime minister’s seeking refuge in non-attendance of the sessions may be the least desirable conduct of the Leader of the House. This defiance may not sprout from the parliamentary strength of the ruling party but from the consistent tacit support of the ‘known unknown’. This may stop for the good of the country, democracy and above all for the state institutions’ credibility and respectability. Mere legislations may not be helpful to achieve the true honour rooted in hearts and minds of the people. In the absence the support, the majority party may surely seek redemption in collaboration with the opposition. It may be the dire need of the hour.

If we glance through the past, the PPP template of parliamentary politics during the previous tenure deserved to be emulated when evaluated in the context of legislative business both in qualitative and quantitative terms. The PMLN record afterwards in this count might be deemed satisfactory by and large. Even critics might agree that parliamentary democracy functioned incredibly well during the PPP government led by former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. Numerous epoch-making constitutional amendments and laws, like the 18th Amendment, naming of NWFP as KPK, special status to G/B, empowerment of women through BISP, criminalisation of domestic and work place violence and intimidation against women including protection of minorities’ rights, were passed with political consensus.

The milestone 18th Amendment stood out that guaranteed the provincial autonomy to the federating units. It also strengthened their financial autonomy through the 7th National Finance Award substantially increasing their share out of the ‘Federal Divisive Pool’. All these miraculous achievements were credited to the consensus politics.

How extraordinary that these achievements of the parliamentary politics were culminated when the PPP did not have the majority in the then National Assembly? But, the PPP and its then leadership strongly believed in the relevance and suitability of the parliamentary politics across the board. The outcome was heartening that might be quoted as the shining example of parliamentary history of the country like of the Parliament of 1973 that gave the nation 1973 Constitution.

The other feather in the cap of the PPP leaders was that the 98% bills tabled in the then National Assembly, according to the parliamentary record, carried the support of opposition benches resulting in taking the legislation business to the new heights. The comparison of the incumbent Parliament and the Leader of the House speaks for itself as their performance in the law making business is embarrassingly insignificant. No wonder, the then Parliament was the center of gravity of country’s politics where military leadership used to come down to appraise the Parliament on important security issues the country was confronting then. There was no political witch-hunting and no political prisoner, no prisoner of conscience whatsoever. What is happening today is before the people. The international organizations--Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Pakistan Human Rights Commission and representative outfits of media--- have been crying horse over the sorry state of affairs but to no avail so far to the collective disappointment of the nation

Tailpiece. Heartiest congratulation to Dr Amjad Saqib for making Pakistan and the Pakistanis proud by winning The Roman Magsaysay prestigious Award (2021) in recognition of his outstanding services of lifting the poor people out of poverty. muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com