Centralized system rules out role for PAs: Fiscal policies
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 20: Pakistan's fiscal system is highly centralized and virtually there is no room for the provincial legislatures and legislators to play any role in framing of the fiscal policies.
This was the opinion of an overwhelming majority of Sindh Assembly members who participated on Tuesday in a dialogue with the representatives of the civil society to discuss the issues of the fiscal policies.
Tuesday's dialogue was second in the sequence organized under a USAID-funded project being implemented by the "Pakistan Legislature Strengthening Consortium." The Civic Action Group organized the first dialogue on the role of civil society in the budget making process on Saturday and second on Tuesday on fiscal policies issues.
As many as five legislators, four belonging to the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian and a lady member of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) were very clear and frank in conceding that their role in matter of framing taxation policies, allocation of resources to various sectors and particularly the drawing up of development budget was minimal.
"The federal authority proposes, levies and collects more than 90 per cent of the country's revenue," Syed Murad Ali Shah, an MPA of the PPPP and a banker in Citibank informed. He wondered as to how the provinces and local assemblies could perform any meaningful role within a very limited space.
"No taxation without representation is the cardinal principle of democracy," he reminded while pointing out that grass root level representation in the provincial and local assemblies has no authority to make fiscal policies. "Fiscal policies are framed at the top," he complained.
Murad Ali Shah ridiculed government's claim of having made an economic turnaround in last four years. "Has the bulging foreign exchange reserve, rise in GDP growth and improvement in other indicators brought any joy for the millions of poor people of the country?"
In fact the provinces have no say at all in the national policies and said that three provincial assemblies have rejected Kalabagh dam and construction of Thal canal. But the government raises the Kalabagh dam bogey to divide people in the country.
Shazia Mari, Anwar Maher and Makhdum Jamiluzzaman complained that opposition members were being discriminated in matter of resources allocation for the development schemes.
Madam Kulsoom of the MMA also complained that the files of the development schemes got lost in the Planning and Development Department and hence no funds allocation for her constituency.
Naela Inam of the Pakistan Muslim League reminded the audience that President Musharraf has made tremendous efforts to pull out the country from the brink of disaster. The devolution programme now under way is giving enough opportunities to the people to join in the nation-building task.
"In Jacobabad, the house maids of waderas have been elected the councillors who get salaries from the government," one of the participant reminded the PML member of the Sindh Assembly.
During the discussion and the question answer session there were references to the failure of the National Finance Commission in giving a consensus award. "The status quo serves Punjab and is against the interest of Sindh and Balochistan," a participant remarked.
There was also reference to the virtual permanent deployment of rangers in Sindh which amounts to reducing the writ of the provincial authority. "Why not strengthen provincial police," a participant asked.
Syed Shoaib Bokhari, the provincial minister for planning and development of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in his speech appeared to be endorsing views of the opposition members and pointed that government was gradually moving in the direction they had suggested.
The Sindh Assembly speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah inaugurated the dialogue and welcomed interaction between the elected members of the assembly and representatives of the civil society. The executive director of "The Researchers" Aazer Ayaz informed that under the project one central and four provincial centres are being established.
