Sindh Assembly: After fighting for their rights, lady health workers should be amused two parties fought over them
In a classic display of politicking, legislators from the ruling party and an opposition party got into a race over who would get credit first for highlighting the case of the lady health workers who want permanent jobs.
“It seems like you are seeking an opportunity to take credit for voicing the concerns of the lady health workers,” said Leader of the Opposition Jam Madad Ali when the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party tried to step in by tabling its own resolution. Just days earlier, when the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) had tried to do the same thing the PPP had shot them down. “How can treasury (government) members bring about the same resolution which they had opposed just a couple of days earlier?” he asked.
In a resolution, the MPAs agreed on a topic or recommendations. An adjournment motion, on the other hand, is a move to bring an issue to the house’s attention for debate or discussion.
On Thursday, the PML-F wanted to table an adjournment motion, but Speaker Nisar Khuhro said this was “technically wrong”. “Your argument is good, but technically the adjournment motion is not admissible in the house,” Khuhro said. According to him, if a resolution has already been passed, an adjournment motion on the same issue is not permissible.
On Tuesday, the PPP’s Shazia Marri had opposed the lady health worker resolution that the PML-F’s Marvi Rashdi had sought to move, saying that the federal government has been contacted about their jobs. “We should wait for the government’s reply. We can move a resolution after that,” she had suggested.
On Thursday, Rashidi told the speaker said that she was ready to discuss whether the motion should be allowed or not, but PPP members, including Murad Ali Shah and Shazia Marri, stood up once again in opposition - fearing that the PML-F might steal the show. PML-F members rebuffed, “We don’t care if the adjournment motion is not adopted by the house. Just give us permission to move it.”
The speaker gave them the cold shoulder and asked Dr Ahmed Ali Shah of the PPP to move a resolution. All members on the treasury benches voted in favour of the resolution but the opposition members loudly chanted, “No!”
Of course, the PPP retorted with the usual chants of “Shame, shame”.
Amid all the commotion, Jam Madad said, “We have supported the government on every front, backed President Zardari and paid tribute to Benazir Bhutto many times. But the PPP is not cooperating with us [on this public issue].”
After the Speaker requested all members to “shun their differences and join hands” over the issue, the opposition members did not oppose the resolution and it was passed unanimously. According to the resolution, the house recommended the Sindh government approach the Centre for an immediate and effective solution of the “outstanding issues” of lady health workers.
Meanwhile, Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed said the government was working to fix workers’ problems and the chief minister had written a letter to the federal government. He said their salaries have also been raised from Rs3,200 to Rs7,000. The minimum wage is Rs7,200.
Census
Members also unanimously passed a resolution, according to which, the provincial government will ask the Centre to direct the Federal Census Commission to collect data of fishermen and other people who are living on Sindh’s islands and belong to nomad tribes in Thar, Kohistan and Kachho.
Tribute to Roshan Atta
The Sindh Assembly also paid tribute to Roshan Atta, a legendary Sindhi actress, who died on Wednesday. The house commended her remarkable services and also recommended a posthumous-lifetime achievement award for her.
The session was prorogued indefinitely.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2011.
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