Daily Times

Shameful scenes in the National Assembly on Thursday, when treasury and opposition members were at each other’s throats, would never have transpired if only our senior politicians understood their true duty to the people; and just what place the House is accorded in the constitution. At the heart of all the fuss is the government’s initiative to conduct upcoming Senate polls through open vote as opposed to secret balloting. The reason is crystal clear and there isn’t one person in the country who doesn’t know it and also agrees with it; at least in principle. And that is to put an end to the practice of what has become popularly known as horse-trading, which becomes all the rage whenever it is election season in the Upper House of Parliament.

One wouldn’t normally expect the main opposition parties, PML-N and PPP, to disagree with that line of argument since they practically took the lead in calling for just such transparency when they signed the famous Charter of Democracy in London when General Musharraf was president. Now their refusal to play along gives the feeling that they are counting on at least a few PTI MPAs to sabotage their own party for the right price. But that, despite what effect it would have on the country’s politics if true, would fall squarely within the narrow definition of political expediency. There also seems some weight in the argument that the government is rushing to get this matter settled before the Senate election out of fear of losing support from within the ruling party and facing public embarrassment at a time when the opposition is already calling for its head.

Though it is principally correct, PTI is approaching this matter with a lot of haste by raising it in parliament and taking it to the Supreme Court at the same time. But opposition parties are clearly putting their own interests ahead of the system and the public. Whichever side wins this debate about the open vote in the Senate would relish the headlines the following morning, but how does that make the Upper House any more relevant for the people than it was before everybody was fighting over who gets to be part of it? As a matter of principle there should be complete transparency in all official matters, be they processes through which important decisions are made or elections that decide the composition of the Senate, which is why PTI’s stance must be appreciated. And if some politicians indeed have differences with their parties that are deep enough to make them betray them in a secret ballot, then not just the party concerned but also the people of Pakistan have every right to know about it. With parliament in paralysis, the decision now rests with the Supreme Court of Pakistan. *