Consensus on Election Reforms Bill 2017 remains elusive
After two years of apparently laid-back consultations between 34 members of political parties, 25 meetings of the main parliamentary committee and 93 of its sub-committee, reportedly costing the moth-eaten treasury millions, and input from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Election Bill 2017, approved by the Parliamentary Electoral Reforms Committee, will finally be signed on Friday for tabling before the two Houses. Unfortunately, the Committee, which was formed to ensure better electoral laws, fairness and transparency in our controversy-plagued elections, has not achieved the sorely desired consensus on this pivotal national issue, and the government might be tempted to bulldoze the Bill through parliament in the fly-by-night manner it favours when confronted with opposition and time-constraints. The ECP, in a letter to the NA Speaker, warned that time was running out if the government wanted the 2018 elections to be contested under the new electoral reform regime. Any ramrodding tactics, without fair debate and discussion, and maximum removal of parties’ reservations, will spell disaster for the entire exercise. It is also inexplicable why the meetings of the Parliamentary Committee were held in camera.
It must be confessed that the choice of the hard-pressed Finance Minister to chair the Committee was hardly an inspired one, with his many extra-curricular engagements. It should also be frankly admitted that the overall working of the ECP also reveals shortcomings in managing the electoral process efficiently, clipped powers of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), in vigorous enforcement of electoral laws, monitoring election expenditures, expeditious disposal of petitions, and above-board process for selection of Returning Officers, which have considerably eroded its credibility in the public eye.
The major ‘objectors’ in the present Bill are the PTI, JI and PML-Q, with differences over voting rights to overseas Pakistanis, use of electronic voting machines and bio-metric verification machines, appointment of caretaker setup, non-empowerment of CEC in the new Bill, and reservations over the ten percent women vote clause, most of which would hopefully be satisfactorily addressed during the passage of the Bill in Parliament.