So far, so good
The chess board has been laid out for the parliamentary games that will hopefully continue uninterrupted for the next five years. The players were selected in the first elections in the country’s history held under an independent and powerful Election Commission and a consensus caretaker set up. After registering complaints about perceived irregularities all major parties have accepted the outcome of the polls. The handover of power from one elected government to another will take placeon June 5 when Nawaz Sharif will be elected prime minister by the National Assembly. He will subsequently announce his cabinet.
So far everything has come along according to a set procedure, courtesy the institutional arrangements introduced by the last parliament through consensus among all parliamentary groups. As the new National Assembly commences work there is need to take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the treasury and the opposition as these would determine how the game is to be played out. The PML-N which originally won 126 seats enjoys simple majority with 144 members after 18 more members having joined it. After 1997, the party has got a big mandate for the second time. The PML-N leadership would hopefully control some of the impulses that harmed both the party and the democratic process during its last tenure. Despite its strength in the Lower House the incoming government is however vulnerable in the Senate. This will require it to seek the cooperation of the opposition to pass crucial legislation. Thus it would not be in a position to have its way on all issues.
The opposition in the National Assembly is divided. While it was possible for the parties sitting in the opposition to maintain hostile postures or refuse to have working relations with one another during the polls , this may not be possible any more. To play an effective role, the opposition parties have to interact normally amongst themselves. While the PTI is a newcomer in the National Assembly as a party, some of its representatives happen to be seasoned parliamentarians. One expects therefore that the opposition would keep the government on its toes. What the opposition needs to shun is taking the issues out into the streets. Protests are no doubt a part of the democratic culture but they fall in the main into the realm of civil society. These are justified on the part of the parliamentary opposition only if the government steamrolls it or continues to remain unresponsive to important national issues despite its protests. Nawaz Sharif has called on the opposition to shun the practice of removing the government through public agitation. The government has to listen to the opposition’s point of view to discourage the practice.
