Haste makes waste

EDITORIAL: Given the history of controversies surrounding general elections in our country, there is obviously a pressing need for electoral reforms if the democratic system is to take firm root and flourish. Inherently, such an exercise cannot be fruitful unless it enjoys consensus in principle and in fact across the political class. That implies the two sides of the aisle have to be on an even or minimally acceptable keel in order to even get the discussion on the issue going, let alone arrive at consensus decisions. The state of relations between the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) government and the opposition on the other hand, is a case study in how not to run a parliamentary democratic system. The government is unrelenting in painting the opposition in the darkest ‘corrupt’ hues day in, day out, as its virtually sole political narrative. Given such an atmosphere, even discussions on genuine issues like electoral reform run aground before they can even reach the start line. The 2018 general elections are the latest case in point of the continuing controversies about our elections being fair and free. Even the 10 or so by-elections over the last almost three years have had their fair share of divisive controversies. While the PTI government’s needle is stuck in the groove of its ‘corruption’ mantra, widely seen as a political witch-hunt against the opposition, the latter has consistently rejected the 2018 polls as ‘engineered’ and the PTI government installed as a result ‘selected’. Wisdom would seem to dictate that a recognition of these ground realities would persuade the government to fix the toxic nature of its daily exchanges with the opposition if it genuinely aspires to bring the latter to the table for a meaningful discussion on electoral reforms. But the government in its ‘wisdom’ seems once again wedded to throwing a ‘casual’ invitation for talks on the issue, and then arbitrarily and one-sidedly going ahead with measures yet to be discussed on the plea that the opposition is not interested. Even if this claim is true, the reasons for this state of affairs are as delineated above. The resort in hasty fashion to issuing Presidential Ordinances left, right and centre without bothering to seriously and in a civilised manner persuade the opposition to cooperate is once more in play on the electoral reforms issue. The ordinance was issued just days after the National Assembly Speaker had constituted a committee to discuss the reforms needed, on the plea by the Information Minister that the opposition had rejected participation in the committee’s deliberations. Information minister Fawad Chaudhry went on to argue that once the ordinance lapses, they have the strength to have a bill passed from parliament. What seems to have escaped the minister is how his argument negates the necessity for the hastily issued ordinance if the issue has eventually (a mere few months down the road) to be settled in parliament. Whereas the ordinance authorises the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to procure Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and enable overseas Pakistanis to vote in national elections from abroad, it has been promulgated by ignoring or overriding the ECP’s reservations on EVMs and without taking the ECP on board. The overseas Pakistanis’ voting issue requires a constitutional amendment, not an easy task given the arithmetic in parliament.

In sum, one cannot help feeling that the government’s approach is an exercise in futility. There was a need to reach out to and smooth the ruffled feathers of the opposition for a consensus reform that hopefully would rid us of the perennial election controversies. Instead, the government has acted with undue and unnecessary haste, which, as the saying goes, is likely to end up in waste. The opposition too of course needs to respond positively if the government reverses its daily diet of abuse and approaches the opposition with respect. The responsibility for fixing the flawed electoral system rests on both sides, but being in power, the government must bear the greater responsibility.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021