Senate elections

The ravage continues

Even if one totally agrees that the concept of secret ballot should be done away with in order to ensure fairness and transparency, the latest diatribe of Imran Khan against the larger parties in the political arena for allegedly being involved in horse-trading of Senate candidates seems to be uncalled for and destructive in nature. Ironically, he is out to tarnish the image of these political players after failing to muster their support for the amendments he wanted in the constitution to avoid embarrassment in the upcoming elections of the Upper House. But really what’s at stake and why is IK’s stance harmful?

The question and the right of political privacy aside, against which Babar Sattar has built a convincing legal case in a contemporary English daily recently, what about the political, social and moral aspects of the matter and the discussion spun around the alleged wholesale merchandise of the respectful candidates for the Senate? Will that add to the existing ‘dignity’ or strength of the august house? And will it bring any positive change either into the composition, working or election process of the senate which is supposed to safeguard the rights of the federating units?

Consider this: the provincial tier has become and is emerging more so as the most important block of our political system, particularly after the 18^th Constitutional Amendment. And the whole discussion right now is that we cannot trust those who we have elected to represent us at this crucial platform of our governance system. They are supposed to fight for the rights of the people. Yet, an all-encompassing impression is being created by the ruling political party, a novice political leader and his chorus and that particular (but overwhelming, mainstream) section of the media as if all of the public representatives are up for sale. Consequently, whether IK and the anchorpersons want it or not, the Parliament is being denuded of whatever legitimacy is left on the façade of democracy in this country at the moment.

The debate and allegations wouldn’t seem that ironical were it not given credence by the PML-N government indirectly and the PTI and Imran Khan directly. It would have been a dream for non-political forces, in not a very distant past, to manoeuver and then see such a lethal attack launched on the so-called democratic institutions. They couldn’t dream that in the years 2014-15 it will be mostly an inside job by the politicians pulling the rug under their own feet.

But the questions which have not yet been answered in this great debate and the allegations that have not been cleared so far are; a) which and how many candidates/seats are available for sale?, b) how many seats are likely to be stolen through horse-trading?, c) if everyone is crying foul then who is out on the buying spree and why?, d) what is the price of a candidate and why are the buyers ready to offer those allegedly hefty sums when there are no apparent means for its return through a House of Parliament whose role is more ceremonial in terms of financial affairs of the state, e) which is the party that is more likely to be hurt and embarrassed and which are the real causes for that?, f) if it is only one party in one province, then why is the legitimacy of the whole House made controversial? g) if there is a marginal setback to PML-N in Punjab due to its lack of accommodation spirit for allies and the haughtiness of its leadership, why doesn’t it amend its ways instead of the constitution?, h) why has it joined hands with someone who is out to destroy the house from the inside?

Secret ballot is a democratic norm from the time of ancient Greece; for a common voter it is protection against intimidation and coercion; for an MP to exercise his right for the interests and welfare of his/her constituency. No doubt that we might be able to gain some short-term benefits by making voting an open affair. But then there may come occasions when the legislators will be unable to take ‘sides’ openly in matters of legislation – just like the judges failed in the courts to pass judgments in terror related cases. True, that an MP’s right to vote in Senate election cannot be termed as ‘private’, or that the matter may not fall into the concept of his/her right to ‘political privacy’ as such. But the question here is that of pulling one particular aspect out of a blanket principle that guarantees fairness, privacy, a room for principled dissent and conscientious decision – if only in letter.

But then there is the Curious Case of Benjamin Button… err… Senator Gulzar Ahmad Khan, whose family members’ presence is growing in the Senate with the passage of time despite their almost microscopic role in Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa’s politics. Ironically, this chap, his brothers, wife, sons, etc are making it to the Upper House since 1994. And strangely they succeed in getting the support of every political party in the arena when there is election time.

The man and the family have been able to get nominated and voted into Senate (not national assembly) by different parties across the board. They have managed nominations from PPP; got elected as Senators with the ‘largest number of votes’, thanks to the support of religious conglomerate, MMA; managed to be part of the federal cabinets in Musharraf-led PML-Q’s government as well as the succeeding PPP government after the 2008 elections. But that’s not all; the sons, Waqar and Ammar, have been nominated by PML-N and PTI’s legislators for the current election.

It is obvious, then, that the issue at hand is not confined to that of a constitutional change in the Senate elections procedure; it has multi-dimensional and multi-faceted social and political aspects that can’t be corrected by doing away with secret balloting.

Though allegations of using unfair means in Senate elections are not new, this time they are more widespread – though without tangible evidence – to the detriment of the democratic system as a whole. Things have gone a step further to discredit democracy and democratic institutions. Starting from allegations of vote-buying in senate elections, Imran Khan has unwittingly moved to delegitimise the Upper House of Parliament before its recomposition; it now stands in line with the Lower House of cheaters, looters and the corrupt. Many or most of the accusations of Imran Khan regarding the corrupt practices carried on in the name and grab of democracy might be correct. But this is for a visionary leader to analyse the long-term consequences of his/her decisions and actions in a given situation. The current democratic dispensation certainly is not ideal. But, should a leader like IK decide to opt for time-consuming evolutionary steps to overcome these or should he/she go after some delusional quick fixes and rock the boat altogether?

What Imran Khan’s movement has achieved so far is that it has made political leaders, democracy and democratic and governance institutions an anathema, rather an abuse, to the people, and this has been given the name of ‘political awakening’ by the media pundits. He has given peaceful coexistence among political forces the name of ‘muk-muka’ (a clandestine understanding) and has made all the political parties and leaders stand in the same queue, from PPP to JUI-F, and from Altaf Hussain to Nawaz Sharif. Everyone except him is corrupt and looter who have ganged up to plunder the nation and throw the country to the dogs. In this crusade of him he stands alone as a political leader. He has weekend democracy, democratic institutions and voices. If he needed someone tomorrow to stand by his side to save democracy, there will be none because he has made everyone else in the political arena appear like an evil.

If he is genuinely interested in introducing a real democracy, it is time for him to change his track and shun agitational politics. He must come back to Parliament and contribute his bit to the improvement of the system through legal, constitutional and procedural reforms. The path which he has tried so far, and is threatening to tread once more, is leading nowhere except weakening of all the state’s democratic institutions and ultimately to its destruction.

The other so-called veteran political parties and leaders should also take it upon themselves to address the shortcomings among themselves and the system. Or crying over spilt milk tomorrow would not serve any purpose. Hiding behind upholding the democratic system will not earn them any support or sympathy. As for reforms in the Senate, let this House be elected secretly but directly by the people of the federating units. This will not only stop Gulzar Khans from making their way clandestinely and make it discredited but will also make it genuinely ‘representative’ and ‘august’. May be next time, but do it.