ISLAMABAD: PML-N has lost confidence in at least two-dozen of its MPAs. PTI has lost confidence in at least one dozen of its MPAs. As a consequence, PML-N and PTI have now mounted the same bandwagon and want to change the rules of the game when the game has already begun. PPP having been wiped off in the last election is now looking at buying its way into the Senate and the Senate’s chairmanship wants to maintain the status quo.Goodbye politics of principles. Welcome politics of interests! There’s little doubt that election procedure for the Senate of Pakistan is deeply flawed-but it has been deeply flawed for the past four decades. What that means is that our political leaders do know how to reform but they will only reform when their personal or party’s political interests are at stake. Senate comes from Old French ‘senat’, Latin ‘senatus’ from ‘senex’ meaning ‘old man’. Historically, there have been two prerequisites to becoming a senator-old age and intelligence. In Pakistan, there are two ways of becoming a senator-to become a favourite of the leader of a political party or around Rs200 million. The primary purpose for the creation of the Senate of Pakistan was to “give representation to all the federating units since the membership of the National Assembly was based on the population of each province. Equal provincial membership in the Senate, thus, balances the provincial inequality in the National Assembly and dispels doubts and apprehension, if any, regarding deprivation and exploitation.” This election cycle, PML-N has nominated Mushahidullah Khan and Nihal Hashmi to represent Punjab when Mushahidullah is from Karachi and Nihal is from Sindh. Additonally, Zafar Jhagra and Raheela Magsi have been nominated from Islamabad when Jhagra is from KP and Raheela is from Sindh. Similarly, PPP has nominated Rehman Malik from Sindh when Rehman Malik is from Sialkot. In essence, we have buried the Senate’s essence a hundred meters underground. On February 23, PML-N introduced a constitutional amendment (22nd) under which, if passed, the upcoming Senate elections would be held through the show of hands instead of the current practice of secret balloting. Why just reform the procedural aspects? While we are at it, why not reform other deeply embedded flaws as well? One - Senate should be directly elected. Two - Senate should be empowered. Currently, the way we ‘elect’ our senators is really not an election; it is more of a nomination. Currently, the Senate is more enslaved than empowered. Why shouldn’t the money bill be subjected to the Senate’s approval? Why can’t the Senate be involved in the confirmation process of the members of the cabinet? Why can’t the Senate be involved in the confirmation process of Pakistan’s ambassadors nominated by the PM? Why can’t the Senate be involved in setting up debt limits for the government? To be certain, a directly elected, empowered Senate will strengthen not only our nascent democracy but the federation as well. Any one interested in that?
