Change in voting procedure: Amendment passed amid opposition’s uproar

Source: 
The Express Tribune
Publication date: 
Jan 20 2016
KARACHI: 

The Sindh Assembly, despite a vehement protest by the opposition and thin attendance on the treasury benches, passed a law to hold the election of mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen, vice-chairmen of local bodies and candidates on reserved seats through a ‘show of hands’.

Earlier, the process was to be held through secret ballot.

Moving an amendment in the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, senior education and parliamentary affairs minister, Nisar Khuhro, said the move would make the election process transparent.

Most of the opposition lawmakers protested in front of the speaker’s podium and tore copies of the agenda but they could not stop the amendment’s passage as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs came to the government’s rescue.

As per the rules, a simple majority is required to adopt a bill, but despite having minority votes, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got the bill passed thanks to PTI’s help.

“You are in a minority and cannot pass the bill or any resolution at this moment,” opposition leader from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Khawaja Izharul Hasan warned, adding that the government cannot bring legislation on the private members day.

At the time of legislation, 58 members were present in the house of which 27 belonged to the PPP and 31 to all the opposition parties. As the three PTI MPAs backed the bill, the ‘pro’ bill group stood at 30 and the opposition at 28.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani ignored the opposition’s demands to start a count and gave a decision in favour of the treasury after fulfilling the process of voting for and against the amendment.

The uproar on this issue compelled the speaker to adjourn the session till Friday.

Earlier, requesting the speaker, Khuhro said, “We realise that today is private members day, but the government wants to make an amendment in local government law given that election on reserved seats is on the card. So, please give us permission to relax all the rules.”

This irked the opposition members who stood up and started chanting slogans against the law.

The speaker responded by saying, “Let him speak and move the motion. It is the assembly’s prerogative to pass or reject it.”

Later, speaking to the media, Hassan said they would challenge the law in court.

“Everyone in the house including media has witnessed that PPP did not have majority votes,” he said, alleging that the PPP has brought the law fearing that its MPAs would not vote for their candidates. Food minister Nasir Shah later responded by saying that if it was proved that the bill was passed in violation of rules, the government would take back the amendment.

Census

The issue of the upcoming census also came up in the session. MQM and PPP members wanted to move separate resolutions, but after a long deliberation they evolved a consensus and drafted a joint resolution which was adopted unanimously.  The resolution asked the Sindh government to approach the federal government over their reservations regarding holding the house count in three days.  “The census authority shall have representation of all the provinces of Pakistan… modalities to conduct census shall be evolved with the consent of all representatives of the provinces,” the resolution reads.

VIP culture

Irrespective of party affiliation, MPAs also joined hands against VIP culture and passed a resolution against it. Majority of the MPAs were against the word “VIP culture” and termed it VIP anarchy.

Air ambulance

The assembly also adopted a resolution moved by PML-F MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi to provide an air-ambulance in the divisional headquarters throughout the province.

Hail Sharmeen

The assembly also paid a rich tribute to filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy on her Oscar-nominated documentary on honour killing in Pakistan. A resolution to establish fire brigade stations in all districts of the province was also adopted.

 

Fuente: http://tribune.com.pk/story/1030568/change-in-voting-procedure-amendment...