Reflects on the party, reflects on the executive
Heads of four key institutions were missing from a special session of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that had met to mull over the Panamagate tax evasion scandal. NAB, FIA, SBP and SECP are regulatory bodies whose input in a scandal like Panamagate is necessary.
The absence of bureaucrats and ministers belonging to PML-N at regular meetings of parliamentary and senate sub committees has become something of a norm. Khursheed Shah, leader of the opposition and PAC chairman was correct to term it an ‘insult of parliament’.
Committees such as PAC perform two very important functions. Firstly these meeting are the most primary stage in the formulation of a bill that is later to be proposed, debated and passed in the upper and lower houses. It is therefore necessary that experts and advisors on a particular subject review and give suggestions prior to a bill being tabled for debate by lawmakers later on.
The second function is oversight. The process of reviewing the activities, proposals and ongoing projects of different ministries by sub-committees on a regular basis acts as a check and balance of officials and ministers. Ignoring these meetings undermines this function that creates opportunities which will allow corrupt practices to go unnoticed.
Officials who skip these meeting with such nonchalance take cue from their party leadership. The prime minister chooses to hold cabinet meetings more regularly only after being reminded about the legal implications of not doing so by the apex court. His presence in the upper house is non-existent while an appearance in the lower house is rare and always reactionary.
Regular meetings with maximum attendance of all stakeholders will ensure that the committees work effectively. Consequences for not attending without a satisfactory excuse should be stricter. It is also up to the party leadership to discourage this culture of absenteeism when attendance is mandatory. That of course would mean putting their house in order first.