The CEC has the opportunity to implement the Political Parties Order 2002.
LAHORE: The new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, has said that it has been his dream to present a prosperous and democratic Pakistan to the new generation and that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) could make this dream come true by holding free, fair, transparent and impartial elections.
I think that as head of an independent national institution, the CEC has the opportunity to implement the Political Parties Order 2002, which is intended to ensure that all candidates are chosen by their respective parties in a democratic and transparent manner. It can also ensure compliance with the provisions of the law on monetary contributions to political parties.
The Supreme Court’s judgment last month directed the ECP to take steps towards improving the preparation of electoral rolls, monitoring election expenses and exploring means to introduce another appropriate system of election for real representation of the people. According to a press report, almost 20 million Pakistanis of voting age are estimated to have been unregistered in the draft electoral rolls. To ensure that the new electoral rolls will not have any mistakes of gender and address, the ECP must have the authority to take disciplinary action against polling staff so that the staff employed by the government in polling stations cannot influence the outcome of the polling in their areas.
It is a sad fact that our laws are full of loopholes, which allow only resourceful landlords, industrialists and political families with hereditary leadership to win elections. Most of these politicians are in politics only to strengthen their families’ interests and consolidate their political standing. Laws should be made such that all political parties are required to provide funds to contesting candidates. Only then can real representatives of the people come to power.
Engr ST Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2012.
