The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Monday rejected the bills entitling the Senate chairman, his deputy, members and chairmen of the committees of the upper house of parliament certain privileges as well as allowances at a time when the country has been going through a severe financial crunch.
Federal Minister for the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and PPP’s spokesperson Shazia Atta Marri rejected the bill titled, the “Chairman Senate (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Bill, 2023”, saying “the PPP rejects the bill pertaining to the Senate chairman privilege bill”.
The PPP spokesperson issued the official statement regarding the disapproval of the bills – one for Senate chairman, deputy chairman and members each – just days after the bills were passed from the Senate with input from the senators of different political parties, including the PPP, the PML-N, the PTI and others.
Marri, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that “the PPP leadership has categorically rejected the bills and disassociated itself from the same”, saying the “party leadership has also expressed displeasure at the bills providing extraordinary facilities to the privileged ones amid a financial crunch”.
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Marri, being PPP’s information secretary, said that “the bills were not in the knowledge of the party leadership”, saying they were also not in line with the party line and can’t be supported.
She revealed that PPP Parliamentarian President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and several senior party leaders, deliberated on the bills on Monday morning and not only “rejected” them but expressed reservations on passing such bills when the nation is fighting with extreme poverty, sky-rocketing inflation amid a severe financial crunch.
Surprisingly, the names of several PPP bigwigs, like Yousaf Raza Gilani, Farooq Hamid Naek, Raza Rabbani and Taj Haider, are mentioned on the bills ensuring perks and privileges for senators, staffers and in some cases their family members, right beneath the identical Statement of Objects and Reasons in the bills.
To a question, Marri said that the PPP stalwarts’ names were there but the party position was totally different from what had been stated in the bills, saying the party policy is above everything else and it would be followed.
The statement of objects and reasons states that the National Assembly represents federating units on the basis of the population in contrast to the Senate which ensures equality in representation, regardless of the population size of any federating unit.
Additionally, it adds, the nature of elections, terms of office and the power and functions in various matters for the members, chairman and deputy chairman of Senate and the members, speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly vary from each other.
Regardless of the aforesaid acts, it continues, the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act of 1974 deals with both the members of Senate and NA under one enactment that doesn’t justify and sufficiently provide for the functions and responsibilities of both positions.
It maintained that the bill aims at providing separate provisions regarding members of the Senate from the existing by repealing the clauses in so far as it related to senators and for the matters ancillary thereto.
According to the bill pertaining to Senate chairman, the Senate chairman shall be paid a salary of Rs205,000, a sumptuary allowance of Rs50,000 per mensem [month], equipment allowance of Rs5,000, the actual traveling expenses for himself and his family, “the cost of transporting personal servants, not exceeding two, by the lowest class of accommodation”.
Also, the bill states, “The chairman and members of his family shall be entitled to the use of official vehicles maintained at Government expense”. The chairman shall be entitled, without payment of rent, to the use of a residence throughout his term of office. However, it adds, the assessed rent of a house hired for the use of the chairman shall in no case exceed Rs250,000 per mensem.
The official residence shall be furnished at the government’s expense not exceeding Rs5,000,000 per term, it maintains, adding if official residence is not provided to the chairman, then he/she should be paid the actual expenditure incurred on furnished accommodation to a maximum of Rs500,000 per mensem.
Where the chairman chooses to reside in his own house, it says, he shall be paid a monthly sum of Rs250,000 in lieu of furnished accommodation and to cover all expenses on its maintenance. The chairman can establish a residential office at government’s expense.
Separate clauses cover free telephone, travelling & protocol, daily allowance during halt etc. The bill says that the chairman and his family shall be entitled to medical facilities in public and private hospitals and at official residence.
The chairman can subscribe to provident fund facility, can have personal staff, discretionary grant of Rs1,800,000, leave of three months for health or private affairs, . He will also get compensation of Rs10 million in case of death or injury in air accidents.
The bill states that every person who has held the office of the chairman for a full term of three years, shall be entitled for life to full security details that is to say six sentries at the declared residence, four personnel of police, anti-terrorism force, Rangers, Frontier Corps or Constabulary in one squad vehicle, for which the federal or provincial government make the required arrangements.
The bills dealing with privileges of deputy chairman, members of Senate as well as chairmen of committees have also been extended similar privileges and facilities with certain changes in amount that are less than the Senate chairman.
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