11 September 2004	Saturday	25 Rajab 1425

LAHORE, Sept 10: Though it may sound offensive, the Punjab Assembly performed better on Friday in the absence of both Speaker Afzal Sahi and Deputy Speaker Shaukat Mazari.

Rai Ijaz Ahmed, a ruling party legislator from Sheikhupura, presided over the session and set a new record by disposing of the entire agenda -- and that too in a few hours.

The house remained in order and all proceedings were conducted smoothly. A lawyer by profession, Rai applied the same principle to the questions and privilege motions. If the movers were not present, he disposed their questions or privilege and adjournment motions, without discriminating between the treasury and the opposition.

Under the rules, if the mover of a question is not present in the house at the time of the Question-Hour, anybody else may rise in his seat to ask the question on behalf of his colleague. But the provision was not benefited by most of the opposition lawmakers.

As a result, a large number of questions moved more than a year ago remained unanswered. A number of motions also met the same fate. Thus, Rai sent a clear message to all members that they would have to be present in the house to ask questions or move their privilege/ adjournment motions. Hopefully, it would have a positive impact on the members and those seriously wanting to raise various issues would be in their seats well in time.

Ashfa Riaz, minister for social welfare, very ably answered questions about her department. The answers were brief and accurate. And she was so assertive and aggressive that for the first time opposition benches appeared subdued.

In fact, in some respects Ashfa's performance was better than parliamentary secretary Zille Huma's, who was appreciated on Thursday for confidently answering almost all questions from various members.

The assertion that the house worked better in the absence of the speaker and the deputy speaker is not aimed at undermining the competence of the two leaders or their ability to run the assembly.

Both of them have to safeguard the interests of the ruling party and save it from any embarrassment. To make this possible, they have to go by expediencies. Whenever some minister finds it difficult to answer a question, whether because of his incompetence or failure of his/her department to provide necessary information, the speaker and the deputy try to help them by using their discretion. They will pend questions or ask the mover to come up with a fresh question.

This encourages ministers (who are dozens in numbers) to get complacent. They don't come to the house prepared as they should. Thus, the opposition is deprived of the opportunity to take ministers to task on account of irregularities in their departments or other failures.

The speaker and the deputy speaker also don't strictly observe the Rules of Procedure and allow members to ask any number of supplementary questions. Because of this, the entire Question-Hour is consumed by a few questions.

Answers to the leftover questions are placed on the table of the house and are taken as read -- although nobody actually reads them.

If they follow the tradition set by Rai Ijaz and don't allow more than three supplementary questions after the main question and dispose the business given by absent members, the house will be able to give more performance in less time and the ministers and parliamentary secretaries will also start knowing about their respective departments.

Law Minister Raja Basharat told the house that the government is going to amend the Land Acquisition Act and bring in a new law on the working of the housing societies.

The two laws, he said, would save the interests of land owners and those desirous of buying plots from housing societies.

Under the proposed legislation, housing societies would not be permitted to sell more lands than they are actually in possession. The housing schemes will have to get a no-objection certificate from the relevant district government. The role of the provincial government is also being enhanced.

Better late than never, as they say. It's an encouraging development if the government plans to take steps to save people from being robbed. But what about those who have already spent their hard-earned money for plots in Bahria Town.

The law minister said the government had nothing to do with crowds waiting for application forms. If somebody wants to sell something and people appear in large numbers to buy it, the government can't do anything, he argued.

An opposition MP sympathized with the security guards at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat, who have to get alert whenever some minister walks past them. The ministers are so many that the poor don't recognize all of them. They are so confused that they get alert when some MP enters the secretariat or leaves it, but they remain unmoved when it's some minister.

To help the security people, Rana Sanaullah proposed, mug shots of all ministers should be put on the assembly's main gate as the police stations do for the offenders they are in search of. Chairman Rai Ijaz shot down the naughty suggestion before any other member could express his opinion on it.