Irrelevant to its members?

Parliament, the place that is both exemplar and hub of democratic presence and activity, has become little more than an encroachment along the side of the political road. A well-appointed godown but mostly idle beyond the backroom committees. A building and an institution that is a credit to the sweepers, cleaners and custodians that keeps it spick and span. On the rare occasions when the members of parliament decide to grace the building with their presence it is the venue for unseemly shouting matches, ritualised verbal exchanges that bear little or no relation to the concept or practice of actual debate, and are often of such numbing boredom that MNAs not infrequently may be seen catching forty winks. Moreover, the common man foots the bill for these superannuated drones via their plentiful allowances and privileges. How lucky we are.

As a country we are plagued by ghost schools, phony businesses and now invisible parliamentarians. They may be invisible but they have sufficient presence to sign their names in the attendance register thereby guaranteeing the payment of the aforementioned allowances. The National Assembly Secretariat maintains the official attendance record and the Wednesday session of the NA is a textbook example of how poorly the nation is served by those elected to lead it.

There were 58 legislators who disappeared into thin air having made their mark at the fifth sitting of the ongoing session of the lower house. Consequently the house had to be adjourned as it was not quorate — not the first time this has happened nor will it be the last. At least 86 members are required to be quorate and if not the speaker is obliged to adjourn. The records show 103 members present in the house, but the reality was that there were 37 in the assembly hall. Public service is devalued by these charlatans and made a mockery of. Cardboard cutouts acting as proxies would be of more use — and cheaper. If we are to be a nation that is led by example, it is small wonder that we languish at the bottom of most indicators.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2017.

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