Senate chairman Raza Rabbani. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Senate chairman Raza Rabbani said that the existing single-transferable mode of elections in the country was adopted to reflect a diversity of political thought from the provinces in the federation.
Direct voting system, he said, would be ineffective as it will not be representative of all the political parties in a given province. “In my view, this will echo the result of the National Assembly and will be unable to represent smaller political parties in the federation.”
Chairman Rabbani recommended that the voter’s name can be listed on the ballot paper and in case of a vote being sold, the ballot paper can be checked.
Senator Ilyas Bilour said that certain members had become senators without spending a single penny on the elections. At the same time he recommended that the house should have the power to approve the Finance Bill.
Deputy chairman Maulan Abdul Ghafoor said that the election should be “free and fair”.
It is important to ensure that people are not elected on the basis of power and financial status, he added.
“It is easy to buy some members whereas it is not easy to buy thousands of votes,” Senator Usman Kakar said. He proposed constituting a committee for establishing the powers of the Senate.
Senator Taj Haider said that in party-based system, votes go to the political party, instead of individuals.
“The matters in both the houses are different,” Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said while citing the examples of the United States and the Philippines where direct election takes place and 70% of the senators are rich.
Senator Hasil Bizenjo pointed to an imbalance between the fiscal powers of both the houses, saying that there is a need to empower the Senate. “The election should be held directly and with proportional representation of all parties.”
Members are bound by the orders of their political parties, Senator Mohsin Leghari said, adding that the party leadership elects its desired people.
Senator Sajid Mir said that he did not support direct election, saying that the existing mode is better.
“There should be no restriction on the election of independent candidates,” Senator Hidayatullah Khan said.
On the recommendations of the members, the chairman decided to invite experts and all the stakeholders to the ongoing discussion in order to reach at a viable and well-rounded decision.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2015.
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