Daily Times

Sir: As the Senate elections draw near, we hear the news about the efforts of parliamentarians who remain busy in striking deals with the opposition parties to either win a majority against the ruling party or the latter trying to strengthen its fort. The race to reign brings to the surface hidden loyalties. Some are seen wooing leaders in the name of building hospitals, whereas others want to keep up the pace of horse-trading and disallow the show of hands. The old players of the Senate file their nomination papers in the power game, oblivious of their contribution towards legislative business. The irony is that each senator, who is presently anxious to get hold of one of the precious 104 seats, will not be seen in parliament after the elections. The senators who win the race are later found ‘grazing’ on the development funds of their constituency, which in no time covers their cost of ‘trading’. Alas, the development funds never reach the common man, which deeply aggravates the already corrupted trading system — be it electoral or governance. Thus, the saga continues whereby the political leaders continue to build their balance sheets by ‘breeding’ the horses they ‘feed’ at the time of elections.

KANWAL ABIDI

Dubai

UAE