Only politicians debase their core institution

ISLAMABAD: While the heads of premier institutions stoutly buck up and extol their organisations depicting them as the best establishments, only a set of politicians unfortunately paint their political mecca – Parliament – black to satisfy their ego and denigrate their rivals.

This is how all the chiefs need to do to get their institutions going and  performing their duties to the best of their abilities. But this is strictly applicable only in the case of disciplined organisations where dissent is taboo and can draw ire.

Since politics is a free for all sports, different voices keep emerging, and this is the beauty of a democracy. However, it becomes soiled and despicable when a particular political lot starts cursing the Parliament, a body from where they also draw power, respect and positions.

This appalling chorus brings disrepute and dishonor to a group that spews venom on the Parliament. It also amounts to disgracing the will of the people, who have sent their representatives to the legislature. Although Parliament has the power to punish those committing its contempt, it has hardly used this authority even when it has been blatantly called names. But this is not true in the case of judiciary, which exercises this power sparingly.

When some MPs assert that Parliament is independent in taking decisions, some of their colleagues project the opposite view, and claim that it is hostage to the majority. But this is a misplaced view because almost all the major national decisions that the Parliament has taken were made unanimously. Question marks are raised on the independence of Parliament by the minority when it doesn’t like a decision taken by the majority. However, an essential fundamental of the parliamentary democracy is that people have armed the majority with the power to take decisions.

Like the heads of other national institutions, the politicians also need to sustain and speak for the supremacy and respect of their source of strength – Parliament – to earn deference across the board. If some MPs attack and curse the legislature, they in reality find fault with the decision of the people of Pakistan. By doing so, they condemn themselves, providing an opportunity to the anti-democracy lot to scoff at the legislature. Sadly, politicians lack a sense of unity and coordination.