Motor ordinance blunder

The fact that the bill has yet to receive the governor’s approval is a good sign since government can revise the law.

Sindh lawmakers have inadvertently committed a blunder that has taken traffic fines in the province back 49 years, exposing how little effort goes into drafting laws and bills that are presented in the assembly. The same laws are then passed in the House amid much fanfare and claims of pioneering legislations in the country.

According to a news report published in this newspaper, Sindh MPAs revised the motor vehicles ordinance to update the fines imposed on traffic violators so that they may be discouraged from doing so. In reality, the revised fines are either the same as the ones being charged or are significantly lower than the current rates. This blunder on the part of the lawmakers sheds light on the inefficiency of these public representatives and the efforts they fail to put when introducing such landmark bills in the House.

What makes the situation worst is how the MPAs reacted to this news item. The opposition members took this as an opportunity to make fun of their colleagues on the treasury benches. Instead of accepting their own fault — since they unanimously passed the bill — the opposition members pointed fingers at the ruling party for making the mistake. On the other hand, the treasury members initially refused to accept the report and insisted it was false. When proven otherwise, they blamed the rest of the MPAs for not picking on the mistake when the draft was presented before them.

In this blame game, the fines remain a laughing stock for the people, who will celebrate the low penalties and the already dismal traffic situation will worsen. The fact that the bill has yet to receive the governor’s approval is a good sign since the government can revise the law and send the correct one for approval. Perhaps, it can also take this opportunity to look at other laws that may have been passed in a hurry.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2014.

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