Show and tell in parliament
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan will propose an amendment to the Rules of Procedure
The prime minister, as representative of both his ministers as well as the cabinet, can choose to address the legislative houses of the country, whenever they deem fit. However, rarely in Pakistan’s history have prime ministers understood the importance of their answerability to members of parliament. However, on many occasions, the PM is subjected to the vagaries of his political engagements.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan will propose an amendment to Rule 69 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business 2007, which implies that the PM should appear for the ‘Prime Minister’s Hour’ at the time of the commencement of the National Assembly’s session. Perhaps, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — while observing the conduct of the opposition — has tested the waters for what is safe for the prime minister and what isn’t. Only if the prime minister discards the precedent set by his predecessors of being ‘unavailable’ whenever it is time and the parliamentarians sitting on the opposition benches play a proactive role can the true purpose behind the move be achieved to an extent.
On the flip side, questioning the government’s performance would not only improve its deliverance but will also bring issues to the public’s knowledge that are otherwise brushed under the rug. Needless to say until acted upon, the amendment will remain as ineffective as it is for the Senate of Pakistan, where prime minister’s zero hour was introduced via an amendment to the Rules of the Business back in 2012.
A fortnightly ‘question hour’ roughly makes up for 24 sessions in a parliamentary year, not much when seen in line with the cumbersome structure and the working machinery of the government, yet the move to set example of answerability and by virtue of accountability must not be underappreciated for the time being, the rest can be kept for when the PM appears in the house and is not ‘busy’.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2018.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan will propose an amendment to Rule 69 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business 2007, which implies that the PM should appear for the ‘Prime Minister’s Hour’ at the time of the commencement of the National Assembly’s session. Perhaps, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — while observing the conduct of the opposition — has tested the waters for what is safe for the prime minister and what isn’t. Only if the prime minister discards the precedent set by his predecessors of being ‘unavailable’ whenever it is time and the parliamentarians sitting on the opposition benches play a proactive role can the true purpose behind the move be achieved to an extent.
On the flip side, questioning the government’s performance would not only improve its deliverance but will also bring issues to the public’s knowledge that are otherwise brushed under the rug. Needless to say until acted upon, the amendment will remain as ineffective as it is for the Senate of Pakistan, where prime minister’s zero hour was introduced via an amendment to the Rules of the Business back in 2012.
A fortnightly ‘question hour’ roughly makes up for 24 sessions in a parliamentary year, not much when seen in line with the cumbersome structure and the working machinery of the government, yet the move to set example of answerability and by virtue of accountability must not be underappreciated for the time being, the rest can be kept for when the PM appears in the house and is not ‘busy’.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2018.