History is bound to repeat itself if we do not learn from its lessons
LAHORE: This is apropos an article by Adnan Anjum titled, ‘Urgent need for electoral reforms’ published in your newspaper on July 19th. I agree with his argument and the foresight he demonstrated, particularly as I experienced flashbacks from the 2013 election while I read. It is absolutely crucial that the subject of electoral reform is not neglected, as the elections of 2018 are hovering over us again.
Much ink has been spilt and numerous television hours have been devoted to the issue of electoral reforms. We have seen years of political protests and strife in the face of the 2013 election results. Observers and the civil society have been diligent in their collection and publication of extensive electoral data. The formation of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral reforms (PCER) represents a community by the government and the parties in parliament to look seriously at reforms.
The kind of farsightedness that Anjum demonstrates is exactly what the nation and those accountable for reform need to keep at the top of their priorities at this stage in the game. Swift action must be taken to pass the Draft Elections Bill 2017; otherwise all efforts will be in vain. In addition, if the bill does not see the light of day, then one can rest assured that the misfortune which allegedly befell us in 2013, of rigging and false ballots, may be sure to occur again.
However, even more than just the passage of the bill, there needs to be serious research taking place to ensure that action will occur. How can society secure the electoral process to which they aspire? Reform processes neither end with finding fault in the current system, nor with putting forward good ideas on how to bring about change. It is appropriate to look at some larger cases from other nations who have gone from highly disputed electoral processes to widely accepted ones. But in Pakistan, when will election processes improve? When will political parties agree to strengthen the electoral commission to the level that it can deliver irreproachable polls?
History is bound to repeat itself if we do not learn from its lessons.
Abiha Aman
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2017.
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