Polling on working day to hurt voter turnout: PTI, PPP

Govt decision against allowing public holiday surprises capital residents

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government’s decision not to make the local government elections polling day in Islamabad (Monday) a public holiday has taken the residents of the city and political parties by surprise.

A notification issued by the city administration on Thursday states, “offices and departments of the city administration, federal and provincial governments, and other offices except educational institutes will remain open on the day of the local government elections in Islamabad on November 30 (Monday)”.



“[The decision] is beyond comprehension and lacks logic,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA from Islamabad Asad Umar commented. The parliamentarian said that it was the responsibility of the government and the election commission to provide a favourable environment to the citizens so that they could cast their vote with greater ease.



“The announcement of public holiday only in educational institutes will cause difficulties for the general public,” Umar added.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Islamabad President Faisal Sakhi Butt said that the decision would significantly impact overall turnout in the city.

Butt said offices usually closed around 5pm, while the polling would end around 5:30 pm.



“It will be quite difficult for citizens to rush to the polling stations and cast votes,” he said. The PPP leader said that the government should revise its decision.

In Punjab and Sindh, where second phase of LG elections are in progress, the respective governments have announced public holidays on polling day in districts where election are being held.

A Nadra-ECP in 2014 ranked Pakistan 164th out of 169 countries in terms of voter turnout. Islamabad showed the highest voter turnout percentage in the country.

Statistics suggest that in the 2002 general elections, the turnout was 51 per cent in Islamabad, 51.01 per cent in 2008, while slightly above 52 per cent in 2013. The various governments had allowed a public holiday on all these occasions.



Ali Naqi, a semi-government employee, said that his office started at 8am and attendance was registered electronically. “I am supposed to punch in at 8am and punch out at 5pm,” he said adding his office was on Park Road and he lived in G-13.

“It will be impossible for me to leave office for two or three hours to travel at least 18 kilometres back to my union council to vote and then come back to the office,” he lamented.

Naqi said that the government should at least announce half-day holiday in government offices.

Tariq Baksh, who works at the office of the city district government, says his office closes at 4pm. “I will just have one-and-a-half hour before the polling time ends. I am trying to figure out how I will cast my ballot in this limited time,” he said.



PML-N MNA from Islamabad Tariq Fazl Chaudhary was not available for comment.

Metropolitan Corporation

The Cabinet Division – former controlling body of the capital’s civic agency – has directed the CDA that it should complete at earliest the pending actions related to the identification of assets, liabilities and other functions supposed to be devolved to the local government.

Through a letter, available with The Express Tribune, the division has also directed the Islamabad chief commissioner Islamabad to hold a meeting with stakeholders including the CDA, ICT administration to work out requirements of the offices buildings for the members of the Metropolitan Corporation.

Barrister Zafarullah Khan, who is heading the committee finalising these arrangements, said the process of devolution would commence after local government elections, adding they had almost completed preparatory work.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th,  2015.