PPP lawmakers’ loose tongues keep assembly on its toes

Wasan says govt tries its best to do corruption; Memon says PPP has always rigged elections.

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Wednesday passed a unanimous resolution against the 'atrocities' of the Malir Development Authority (MDA) that has started occupying the lands of indigenous people and re-allotting them to private builders for various commercial and residential schemes.

Moving the resolution, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Sajid Jokhio, whose constituency is in Malir, demanded the Sindh government stop the authority from allotting the land of the local inhabitants to business enterprises and dislocating ancient villages, graveyards and historical places. "This has created serious reservations among the locals, who have been living in the area for centuries," he said. Despite Jokhio's repeated requests, however, deputy speaker Shehla Raza did not give him time to speak on this issue.

Speaking to The Express Tribune after the session, Jokhio said that the MDA was set up by the PPP government in 1993 to initially develop on 9,000 acres. It has, however, not paid a single instalment to the government and later illegally occupied 45,000 acres of government land. "Malir was a green belt but these builders have tarnished its original identity by occupying the lands and demolishing our villages with the help of influential people," he said.



Embarrassing slips of tongue

Manzoor Wasan, the minister for anti-corruption, confessed in the Sindh Assembly session on Wednesday that ‘unbridled corruption’ was rampant in every department of the Sindh government. "We always try our level best to commit corruption," he said, before realising his mistake. These remarks forced Wasan to tender an apology a minute later as the opposition members thumped their desks and the MPAs sitting on the treasury benches were caught dumbfounded due to his unusual statement.

"Sorry, meri zuban phisal gai" [It was a slip of tongue]. "We are trying to eradicate corruption, not endorse it," he said.

This ignited a debate in the House, prompting the leader of the opposition, Shaharyar Mahar, to say: "Akhir sach zuban pe aa hi gaya" [The truth finally came to the fore].

This interesting development dominated the proceedings when Wasan, who also holds the portfolio of the prisons department, was responding to questions regarding the anti-corruption department. Earlier, when asked about the department's progress, he had replied that the chief secretary was the actual authority in the anti-corruption department and that his position was merely ceremonial.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani taunted Wasan by saying: "Are you aunty corruption or anti-corruption?" Wasan apologised for his earlier remarks and said, "It is my priority to uproot corruption from the province."

In his briefing to the assembly, Wasan said the department had registered 1,334 cases against government officials in the last seven years, of which 472 were still pending. "There are various committees working under the supervision of the chief secretary and commissioners, which create hindrances in initiating cases against corrupt officials. We want to revamp the department with legislation," he said.

It was a bad day for lawmakers of the ruling party who kept the House amused with their slippery tongues. Sharjeel Memon was the next one to be caught out when he admitted: "PPP ne hamesha dhandli ki hai [The PPP has always done rigging]." He later corrected himself by saying: "PPP ke khilaf dhandli hui hai [There has always been rigging against the PPP].”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2015.