Senate’s first year marked by absenteeism
The only day when 97 members of the house were present was when newly elected senators took oath
PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
There has been a marked improvement in the Senate after Raza Rabbani took over as its chairman. Influential though he may be, Raza Rabbani failed to address one serious problem: absenteeism of the members.
While Rabbani has banned a PML-N heavyweight — Defence Minister Khawaja Asif — in the house over his absence, the issue of the members’ absence has never been a subject of discussion.
The only day when 97 members of the house were present was when newly elected senators took oath. The annual report of the Senate says it was March 13, 2015, but on that day house was not in session.
When contacted, secretary Senate Amjad Parvez told The Express Tribune that it was a mistake as the oath-taking of senators and chairman took place on March 12.
“There has been some adverse commentary on the fact that attendance at sessions is never 100%. This is often interpreted to mean that the senators are not diligent in the discharge of their duties. Certainly, there may be some senators for which this description is apt. But there are many who take their responsibilities very seriously,” Senator Osman Saifullah Khan from the PPP told The Express Tribune, on Sunday.
Khan defended his colleagues by saying that “legislation is the primary responsibility of a senator and whenever there is legislation on the order of the day, most senators turn up to vote.”
And sometimes senate business is such that a particular senator may not feel qualified to contribute. There are a handful of senators who spend taxpayers’ money, come to Islamabad from their hometowns and make no contribution at all. Senator Gul Bashra from Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party [PMAP] is one such example. She is punctual but remains silent during proceedings of the house and standing committees.
Senator Bashra had broken her silence in the upper house earlier this year on January 20; she took oath on March 12, 2015, during a debate on terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University Charsadda. And Rabbani made sure that her comments were not missed by anyone.
Responding to a question about the change in senate under Chairman Rabbani, Senator Osman said that “there has been a definite, perceptible upping of the game since Senator Raza Rabbani’s election as chairman.”
The sessions start very punctually, attendance is considerably higher than before and there is also broader participation by senators. The chairman conducts the proceedings of the house in a more disciplined manner with a focus on actually getting things done rather than just talking about them, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2016.
There has been a marked improvement in the Senate after Raza Rabbani took over as its chairman. Influential though he may be, Raza Rabbani failed to address one serious problem: absenteeism of the members.
While Rabbani has banned a PML-N heavyweight — Defence Minister Khawaja Asif — in the house over his absence, the issue of the members’ absence has never been a subject of discussion.
The only day when 97 members of the house were present was when newly elected senators took oath. The annual report of the Senate says it was March 13, 2015, but on that day house was not in session.
When contacted, secretary Senate Amjad Parvez told The Express Tribune that it was a mistake as the oath-taking of senators and chairman took place on March 12.
“There has been some adverse commentary on the fact that attendance at sessions is never 100%. This is often interpreted to mean that the senators are not diligent in the discharge of their duties. Certainly, there may be some senators for which this description is apt. But there are many who take their responsibilities very seriously,” Senator Osman Saifullah Khan from the PPP told The Express Tribune, on Sunday.
Khan defended his colleagues by saying that “legislation is the primary responsibility of a senator and whenever there is legislation on the order of the day, most senators turn up to vote.”
And sometimes senate business is such that a particular senator may not feel qualified to contribute. There are a handful of senators who spend taxpayers’ money, come to Islamabad from their hometowns and make no contribution at all. Senator Gul Bashra from Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party [PMAP] is one such example. She is punctual but remains silent during proceedings of the house and standing committees.
Senator Bashra had broken her silence in the upper house earlier this year on January 20; she took oath on March 12, 2015, during a debate on terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University Charsadda. And Rabbani made sure that her comments were not missed by anyone.
Responding to a question about the change in senate under Chairman Rabbani, Senator Osman said that “there has been a definite, perceptible upping of the game since Senator Raza Rabbani’s election as chairman.”
The sessions start very punctually, attendance is considerably higher than before and there is also broader participation by senators. The chairman conducts the proceedings of the house in a more disciplined manner with a focus on actually getting things done rather than just talking about them, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2016.