A welcome change

Fortunately new rules would prevent controversy like JUI-F’s Maulana Ghafoor Haideri becoming opposition leader.

All too often, procedural changes in the way parliament works get short shrift in the media even though they can have far-ranging consequences for governance in the country. Such is the case with the newly-adopted rules of business in the Senate which, if implemented in the spirit with which they were intended, should improve the way the upper house of parliament conducts itself. One of the most important changes is that the chairman of the Senate no longer has the discretionary power to appoint the leader of the opposition. This very issue became controversial last year when then leader of the opposition, Waseem Sajjad had to vacate the position after his party, the PML-Q, joined the government benches. The preferred candidate of the opposition was the PML-N’s Ishaq Dar, but under the rules of party discipline, dissidents in the PML-Q couldn’t vote for him. Senate Chairman Farooq Naek — in a move that reeked of undue haste and was criticised by Raza Rabbani of the PPP — chose the JUI-F’s Maulana Ghafoor Haideri for the position. Fortunately the new rules would prevent a similar controversy from breaking out in the future.

The new Senate rules also make it harder for parliamentarians to absent themselves from important proceedings. Ministers will have to be present in the Senate for hearings and meetings that pertain to their ministries. The prime minister, meanwhile, will have to answer weekly questions from senators. All of these changes are positive, as they force government officials to be held accountable by parliament, rather than acting as if their ministries are personal fiefdoms which they can operate as they see fit. These changes will become especially important if, after the next general elections, we get a divided parliament where the National Assembly is held by one party and the Senate by another. It will ensure that no one gets a free ride and will have to answer questions about their performance from potentially hostile opponents. But the Senate can only operate as efficiently as its members allow.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2012.

Correction: An earlier version of the article incorrectly named Maulana Ghafoor Haideri as Iqbal Haideri. The error has been rectified.