System’s transparency

THE effectiveness of parliament and the provincial assemblies remains stymied because of the federal and provincial governments’ authoritarian attitude towards the opposition and their stubborn refusal to respect dissent. The legislature’s functioning is affected also by the non-serious attitude of the treasury benches in ensuring the required quorum and the opposition’s tendency to substitute rhetoric for reasoned argument. Law-making is entirely one-sided, with the government steamrollering bills or resorting to issuing ordinances. However, even within these constraints, the assemblies are serving one useful purpose: they are managing to bring out into the open issues and instances of wrongdoing that the government would rather not see publicized. This is so particularly with regard to the Senate and the National Assembly, where the standing committees and the sub-committees are at least seeking to introduce an element of accountability into the working of the government and its various agencies. Along with the Question Hour in the National Assembly, where the government is forced to submit replies to the points raised, the committees have become an important source of information to which access is not otherwise available to the public.

However, the committees still meet infrequently, when the prefix “standing” actually implies that they should be in session almost all the time. It took almost a year and a half following the elections in 2002 for the committees to be formed. The opposition representation is not adequate in every case, and regrettably committee members do not always come prepared for meetings. If the committees were in regular session, many instances of malfeasance involving a loss to the exchequer would have been detected when they took place, rather than eight or 10 years later, and the loss averted. Since the committees are meant to ensure transparency, it is necessary that their hearings be open to the media and the public. It is equally important that their observations and findings should be given due weight by the government and acted upon. Unless the government respects the committees’ comments, there is scant hope that the bureaucracy would do so.

The committee system is one of the most essential components of the parliamentary system, and in general terms, therefore, it is the system itself that needs strengthening. It has received little respect from the government so far, the lackadaisical presence of ministers in parliamentary and assembly sessions providing an indication of the indifference with which the executive treats the legislature. Fifty-eight years down the road from independence, we are still, thanks to repeated military interventions, talking in the most elementary terms about the need to strengthen parliament and the parliamentary system. Committees are good, the institution of the Question Hour is good, we should adhere to constitutionalism and respect the will of the people, but these have been reduced to cliches during a period that has seen even countries gaining freedom much after us becoming functioning democracies. This is enough to fill anyone with despair. But that is the strange part — that people continue to plod on with their demand for representation and for their voice to be heard. The opposition refuses to be browbeaten despite state suppression and oppression, some glaring examples of which have just been seen in Sindh and Punjab. It is in this robust resilience of the people that hope lies, and that is also why public pressure for democracy and democratic accountability must remain relentless.

Child protection laws

OF LATE, there has been much talk about eliminating child labour, spurred by the World Day Against Child Labour which was held on June 12. On Friday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz met children from rehabilitation centres and assured them that he would work hard to enforce a ban on child labour, particularly on child miners. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 171 million children work in hazardous conditions around the world, of which 111 million are under the age of 15. Of that, one million are employed in mining and quarry work which is regarded as the worst form of child labour under ILO Convention. These children work in unregulated and dangerous conditions, and risk serious illness and injuries from toxic chemicals. Last year, the ministry of labour and manpower and the ILO signed an MoU extending the ILO International Programme for Elimination of Child Labour for another five years — till December 31, 2009. At least the government is renewing its commitment to eradicate the hazard of child labour. On June 4, the federal ministry of social welfare, with the support of the ILO, prepared a draft called “Protection of child domestic workers act” to regulate the services of domestic workers. One of its provisions makes employment of children below 15 a penal offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years or fine up to Rs 30,000. If passed by parliament, the much needed law will prove to be beneficial but one can’t help viewing it with some scepticism as previous such laws have not been properly implemented.

We are all too familiar with how parents, under trying circumstances, have no choice but to send their children off to work where they are vulnerable to all manner of exploitation. Unless the core issue of poverty is tackled, and viable alternatives proposed — like educating children while they work and contribute to their family’s income — schemes to eradicate child labour will bear no fruit. The government has to take some responsibility and ensure that children are protected and those exploiting them are held answerable. Public awareness campaigns need to be launched so that society is sensitized on the many problems affecting children.

Beach safety

WITH the onset of summer, Karachi’s beaches are once again thronged by thousands of visitors at a time when the sea is particularly choppy because of the approach of the monsoon season. It can be assumed that most of these beach-goers would have no practice of even basic swimming techniques as they wade in waves that can suddenly turn treacherous and drag their victims to a watery death. True, there is a growing realization that beach safety measures are necessary if drowning tragedies are to be avoided. The city government has lately made some efforts to identify safety zones to indicate the presence of lifeguards. The problem is that while drowning incidents, previously numbering over 250 per year, are on the decline (thanks to the efforts of non-governmental organizations, the city administration and the navy), beach-goers still do not recognize the dangers of sea-bathing. This means that in spite of the lifesaving infrastructure, bathers remain at risk of drowning.

Generally the people do not heed the signs posted along the beach warning against stepping into the water, or the advice of lifeguards or other accomplished swimmers. In fact, their holiday mood often takes them far out into the water where strong undercurrents can carry away a non-swimmer. Unable to swim or to keep calm and follow basic survival rules in the event of danger, many meet with tragedy. And while lifeguards have been instrumental in saving many people from likely death, their numbers are small, making it necessary to keep watch over the vast stretches of Karachi’s many beaches. Although there is no doubt that more effective beach safety measures need to be put in place, public education on do’s and don’ts remains the best way of preventing death at sea.