- Staying out of the PAC has meant the government has got a free pass
By: Taha Zaheer
A general misconception that follows the Auditor General Report in Pakistan is that it is a final word and exposes corruption in government spending. This, though, is not true. The task of declaring even a single penny as embezzlement or corruption is that of the legislature. Astoundingly, the opposition in Sindh has not attended a single Public Accounts Committee in the last nine months. Despite the realization the opposition has that the treasury benches have a strong majority, boycotting parliamentary committees is tantamount to giving the treasury a safe passage to conduct the business the way it deems fit. Hence, it is tantamount to aiding the PPP-dominated Sindh Assembly.
The job of Auditor General, as provided in the Constitution under Article 169 and elaborated through Auditor General (Functions, Powers and Condition of Service) Ordinance, 2001, further amended through the Amendment Act, 2017, is to audit any accounts prepared by the Controller General of Accounts. Unlike the general understanding the paragraphs prepared by the Auditor General are only referred to as draft paras or observations generally classified under various heads except corruption.
The Opposition through its stance has only aided the government in having a free ride with the exchequer and if the position remains so, the only people who would suffer will be the people of Sindh
The report authorized by the President or the Governor is then laid in respective legislatures. This is the time when the role of opposition comes in play. According to Assembly rules, each committee, including the Public Accounts Committee, is to be elected from the members of the House. Traditionally the practice that was observed was through mutual understanding of Treasury and opposition which was somewhat understandable since the election, if required, would be carried on Single Transferable Vote, a procedure that would eventually result in gaining of seats based on party position. But this time the practice was cut short when the opposition, dominated by the PTI, decided not to become part of any parliamentary committees unless the Chairmanship of the PAC was handed over to it, a scenario only possible if the committee has a majority of opposition members. The argument raised was that since the practice of appointing Leader of Opposition as Chairman PAC was being observed in the National Assembly, the same was to be carried to Sindh based on the understanding agreed upon by the PPP and the PML(N) in the Charter of Democracy. The PPP, which singlehandedly holds the treasury with an easy two-third majority, decided to shove away the argument and decided to constitute majority of the committees through election, in which the opposition abstained, hence giving a walkover to the PPP.
The stance of the opposition, instead of creating any disturbance has rather facilitated the Treasury which has been enjoying free play in the PAC. Constituted in March this year, the PAC in Sindh Assembly under the Chairmanship of Ghulam Qadir Chandio has been holding meetings regularly thrice a week. By the end of this month the Committee would have spent a good nine months settling various accounts of multiple departments going in millions of rupees without any objection or reservation of the Opposition. In simpler words the PPP itself would have settled the accounts of PPP as authorized by the PPP.
The scenario leads to some serious questions. How fair is the oppositions’ stance? Is absence from committees a violation of constitution? Who is the real victim?
As far as the fairness of the argument by Opposition is concerned, one should refer to the recent Army Chief’s extension case where the Supreme Court observed that mere traditions did not suffice for extension of the Army Chief and that Parliament needed to legislate. Applying the same wisdom on the Opposition stance in Sindh there are no specific rules for the Leader of Opposition to head the PAC.
So, is this a constitutional violation? The audit reports that are laid in the House require evaluation and any further action as deemed necessary by the House. This is the very basic understanding of what the Constitution provides. While calling it a constitutional violation may be exaggeration, it for sure is a disservice towards the mandate the Opposition has received. A legislator is supposed to perform three basic duties, to represent, to legislate and to carry on oversight. It is pertinent to mention that legislation in the Sindh Assembly has been at its lowest compared to the last eight years in tern ofnumber of laws passed. The duty of representation has been catered largely due to historically prolonged session of the Assembly. However, the core responsibility of oversight and protection of public monies has been duly avoided. For a constituent, a voter, it shall come as a shock that in the last one and half year not a single government expenditure or any of its policies has been scrutinized hence giving a free pass to the Treasury. The current opposition stance is only affecting the taxpayer as it is his money that goes unchecked while the Opposition keeps on enjoying the same level of perks and privileges without taking the pain of performing its core responsibility.
Putting the elements in one picture, the Opposition through its stance has only aided the government in having a free ride with the exchequer and if the position remains so, the only people who would suffer will be the people of Sindh.
This writer is has served as Young Parliamentary Associate at the Sindh Assembly, and can be reached at [email protected]
