The need for election reforms

Free and fair election is the bedrock of a democracy. Such an election represents the sovereign will of the people in a country. This sovereign will provides a set of individuals the source and force to rise to the position of power and form a government that is authorised to take decisions on behalf of the whole nation. An election that is managed, manipulated or rigged is nothing but a fraud with the people, and a government formed on the basis of such an election is nothing but a bunch of usurpers who don’t believe in the service of the people and rather have their own agenda to serve.

Unfortunately, the concept of free, fair and transparent election is alien to Pakistan despite the country being a democracy during much of the 70-plus years of its existence. As many as 11 times has Pakistan gone to the polls over the last five decades — but hardly ever determining who the people actually voted for. We have seen the election in our country doctored. We have seen the election engineered. But we have yet to see an election that is totally free, fair and transparent — an election that could elicit a truly legitimate result, acceptable to all, for a truly democratic and fully empowered government to run the country.

No wonder our elections have traditionally generated agitations, protests and legal battles in their wake, with those on the losing side rejecting the results and alleging manipulation, maneuvering, and rigging in favour of the winner. It’s no less a national tragedy that hardly ever has a general election in the country managed to bring the political calm that is direly needed for the rulers to focus on issues of core concern for the country and the people, like the economy, governance, service delivery, foreign affairs, and internal and external security. The previous two general elections — as well as the recent bye-elections in Daska and Karachi — are fitting cases in point.

It is thus in the fitness of things that the sitting government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, has renewed its push for election reforms. The government last month made a formal offer to the opposition on the floor of the National Assembly for constitution of a parliamentary committee on election reforms. Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan tabled a motion in the lower house, authorising the Speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee on election reforms comprising members from the treasury and opposition benches. Following up, the Speaker has written letters to the parliamentary leaders of all parties in the House, asking them to nominate their members for the proposed parliamentary committee to carry out electoral reforms.

There is no reason why the opposition would not respond in kind. While not much is known about the government’s blueprint for election reforms, except for the proposals concerning electronic voting machines and voting rights for expats, things will unfold as the process moves forward. The opposition parties should nominate their members to start with, and come up with their own set of proposals in the context. Parliamentary democracy is all about deliberation and consensus-building. Both sides should waste no time to enter into a constructive debate to produce meaningful reforms so as to ensure that the coming general election — scheduled in 2023 — remains uncontroversial. To achieve the goal of a fully functional representative democracy, free and fair elections are a must.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2021.

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