Votes for sale

There is nothing new about the term horse-trading, the selling of votes to gain political advantage. It has been around since at least the late 19th century and was not always viewed negatively, sometimes seen as part of day-to-day political currency. The politics of Pakistan have always had a price attached. Everything is for sale in the political bazaar, and loyalty can be bought — or even rented on a short-term basis — everywhere that there is a political assembly.

The various assemblies on occasion resemble the bear pits of days gone by, with business of state or province submerged in rancorous behaviour and the Sindh Assembly has once again provided a less-than-honourable example of how not to conduct business, the trading of horses included. Normally equine transactions are conducted in some secrecy at least in the deal-making stage only to emerge into the light when votes are cast. Actual admissions of guilt are rare and it is thus with some surprise that we report that a Pakistan Peoples Party MPA, Nawab Talpur, admitting in the provincial assembly that his party had indeed engaged in horse-trading. He referred to an opposition member who he called out as a horse-trader in the last Senate elections, and uproar swiftly followed the speaker of the house was unable to contain the baying mob. Two parties staged a brief walkout and the debate about the budget was as dead as the proverbial dodo.

Although it was the accusations — seemingly well-founded — of horse-trading that provoked yet another shouting match; what was actually on display was the immature and juvenile behaviour of a range of elected representatives none of whom emerged unsullied from the brouhaha. It was little removed from the average street-corner bust-up. These people are elected representatives of we, the people, and they are paid from the public purse to govern on our behalf. There is even a saying for it — ‘don’t vote it only encourages them’. We have no desire to inhibit voting in any way, but think twice before putting your cross in the square.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2018.

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