Opposition and open vote

The government tabled the 26^th Constitutional Amendment bill earlier this week calling for open ballot in the Senate elections. The opposition does not seem interested in the attempts to ensure transparency and fairness in the elections and is making efforts to stop the move.

After must dilly-dallying and indecisiveness, the opposition has announced to contest the Senate elections and not resign from assemblies. This was a huge about-turn for the opposition but was not entirely surprising as the PDM was facing internal rifts and the decision to quit parliament would be overbearing for the alliance.

It seems that the opposition’s next move, apart from intensifying the rhetoric against the government, is to prevent holding the Senate polls through open ballot through any means possible. There was chaos in the National Assembly for two consecutive days and no debate could be held. The situation turned so intense that guards had to be called in around the speaker’s desk to prevent any untoward incident.

There have been numerous incidents of ruckus in parliament as politicians often squabble over various issues but the recent incident shows the sorrow state of affairs as no can be discussed with civility and decency. The hooliganism irrespective of who was involved violated the sanctity of the auspicious parliament and the behaviour of lawmakers must be strongly condemned.

The opposition is preventing crucial election reforms that would ensure transparency and stop vote buying which have marred previous elections. It seems the opposition wants to retain the old system which encourages horse-trading. The opposition is perturbed that the PTI will emerge as the largest party after the polls and wants to use any means necessary either by hook or crook to stop them.

The Senate elections evoke controversy due to the secrecy but this leads to vote buying and selling and political parties lose seats as members sell their conscience. If the opposition intends to stop open voting by such delaying tactics and resorting to hooliganism then it must be condemned. It is the responsibility of every lawmaker to maintain decorum and prestige of parliament. Both sides should discuss the matter in a conducive manner and make rational decisions in national interests.