Vital issues for parliament
By Syed Fakhar Imam
THE National Assembly and the Senate are meeting these days. As normal questions about the ministries, autonomous bodies and attached departments will be taken up, privilege and adjournment motions will be moved regarding important national issues.
Call attention notices addressing important matters of state will be taken up for debate. Some bills will be introduced by the government and some by the members on private members’ days.
The state and the people of Pakistan are facing one of the most daunting challenges in the country’s history in the so-called war on terror. The frequency of suicide bombings and other modes of attacks have taken hundreds of innocent lives. This is in addition to the security personnel that we have lost numbering nearly 3,000 dead and 9,000 injured in the past few years fighting terrorists in the north.
Parliament discussed the security situation in camera a year ago. Now is the time for it to again discuss the national security situation as several very unfortunate, bloody incidents have taken place all over Pakistan, with the NWFP bearing the brunt of these gory attacks.
A national debate should be held in the open where the government’s strategy is presented by the minister for interior on the floor of the house. A full-scale debate and discussion should follow wherein all the parties in parliament should present their points of view.
After three or four days of intense debate and discussion with 20 to 30 hours devoted exclusively to this urgent and serious matter, a consensus resolution should be adopted outlining the steps of how to prevent and minimise these violent terrorist attacks that are weakening the foundations of the state.
The capacity and capability of the security agencies must be assessed and steps taken to correct the weaknesses and failures that exist within them, along with strengthening the capacity to perform their functions efficiently and effectively. There is a dire need to uplift the morale of all those who are courageously confronting the militants.
In this session parliament should also take up the energy policy. A comprehensive policy statement on energy generation and distribution is urgently needed in the house. Energy projects based on hydro, thermal, gas, coal, etc. should be discussed. Alternative energy projects concerning solar, wind and biogas projects must also be discussed.
The reasons for having such a debate are obvious. The people are suffering from long hours of loadshedding daily with a negative fallout on the economy. The ministers concerned should put forward their plans to bridge this gap. The proposed projects in different areas with their capacities and locations and time schedules should be presented before the house.
The citizens should be taken into confidence about their own future. In particular they have to be told about the ever-rising cost of energy being imposed on them. Such hikes in the prices of fuel, gas and electricity have to be rationalised and justified. By following an informed debate in parliament, the citizens would be able to hear and analyse to what extent the government is justified in raising energy costs.
The third national issue this session of parliament could be food security. Pakistan has the distinction of reaping two record harvests in the last two years. In 2008, 6.9 million tonnes of rice were produced, allowing the country to earn over $2bn through exports. In 2008-09, nearly 24 million tonnes of wheat were produced.
One of the main reasons for this record production was the announcement of a procurement price of Rs950 per maund ahead of the sowing of the crop. This timely decision promoted and encouraged wheat growers to invest through the use of more inputs such as better quality seed, more and balanced use of fertiliser, weedicide, etc. This record production led to government agencies procuring 9.3 million tonnes. This amount of wheat procured and stored was the highest in Pakistan’s history.
The timing of this parliament session is appropriate for a discussion on the procurement policy of the forthcoming wheat crop as the harvesting of wheat starts in April. After the statement by the minister for food and agriculture is made, the members will be able to make significant and meaningful contributions to the procurement policy and its implementation. One of the major reasons for having this debate is that there is going to be a carryover of three million to 3.5 million tonnes from the last harvest by the time the new crop arrives.
The government agencies will become conscious about fulfilling their task of procurement as they did last year when the growers got a fair and equitable return for the wheat crop after many years. This was a commendable achievement on the part of the federal and provincial governments. Due to less rainfall and shortage of irrigation water, this year’s wheat crop is likely to be less than last year’s. Therefore, it is extremely important that the government’s procurement policy is clearly enunciated so that the success of last year’s procurement policy can be emulated and Pakistan becomes a food-secure country.
Debates on the issues listed above will lead to better governance and involve the citizens through their elected representatives. Live coverage on electronic media of the debates on national issues will enlighten the people about their problems and how the government is trying to resolve them.
The writer is a former speaker of the National Assembly.
Source: Dawn
Date:2/11/2010
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