Why parliament matters

On June 30, the world will mark the International Day of Parliamentarism. It is on this date that the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organization focused on empowering “parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development”, was founded in 1889. As per the UN, the day is a crucial opportunity to review the progress parliaments around the world are making in terms of key goals such as inclusivity and representativeness and “adapting to new technologies”. The UN emphasizes that this work is incredibly important in the context of declining trust in political institutions and new challenges to democracy from nationalist and populist movements. When parliaments work as intended, they are the voice of the people. Sadly, as democracy is in retreat in many countries, parliaments are arguably becoming more unrepresentative and, in many cases, have become avenues of oppression themselves.

Some of these trends can be observed in our own country. According to reports, over the past years parliamentary attendance records have continued to dwindle. These rates have likely worsened in the preceding five-year period, which has seen the mass resignation of opposition legislators from parliament, effectively making it an institution of people who all agree with each other rather than one of debate and discourse. In January this year, a study by PILDAT had found that only the ECP had managed to perform dutifully among all other institutional stakeholders in the country, including parliament. The study had also chronicled the low attendance by the previous government's prime minister Imran Khan in parliament.

If such a high proportion of those elected by the people to give them a voice cannot be bothered to show up consistently to the forum where this job is performed then the entire purpose of having a parliament is defeated. This abdication of duty constrains the ability of parliament to function in a legitimate fashion and raises questions about whether any legislation that passes truly has the people’s mandate. As the 'people's representatives' we must ask ourselves whether our parliamentarians even realize how out of touch with the people they claim to represent they really are. From legislating perks and privileges for themselves while the country reels under unprecedented inflation to weak transparency regarding legislation, parliament in Pakistan has been woefully underperforming over the years. Why is it that our chosen representatives remember parliament only when it comes to their own power interests?

If we look beyond the behaviour of parliamentarians to their composition, we will encounter similar issues. Parliaments, not just in Pakistan but around the world, are doing a bad job of including women and religious and ethnic minorities. Logically speaking, parliaments ought to be around 50 per cent female in order to be truly representative of the people, but few manage to reach this standard and most disproportionately exclude women. And if elections are conducted in a climate of widespread prejudice and hatred against members of ethnic and religious minorities, compromising their ability to run for office, the resulting parliament represents not the people but only the majority. If parliaments are to live up to their role, we must set higher standards regarding how parliaments are formed, who does and does not get in and what legislators do once they are in power. Ensuring civilian supremacy, upholding rule of law, and safeguarding parliament’s authority are essential steps towards consolidating democratic governance. But is anyone in Pakistan’s politics listening as they squabble among themselves trying to woo unelected stakeholders in a system that seems particularly skewed against its own people?