By Senator Rehman Malik
HOW can national institutions and parliaments play an active role in enforcing the rule of law and improving governance; this is an important question in the mind of every sane person. The people of Pakistan are worried because our beloved country is going through the worst crises and the nation is witnessing political polarisation and poor governance within the institutions.
The parliament will be remembered as a rubber stamp because it has hardly taken any step for the betterment of the common man till date. The state is in a state of “complete confusion” and the country is losing its direction without the right policies.
The national future is in the hands of the IMF, and statements by several incoming ministers are on record that the government is helpless before the West, including the powerful IMF and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The country is governed on a daily basis without any solid long-term policies. The state has completely failed to protect the rights of the common man, the crises are increasing with each passing day.
A common man has been waiting for some relief for a long time but every incoming government has not been able to fulfil even the slightest hope of the common man. With the continuous rise in inflation, the difficulties of the common man are increasing manifold.
The cries of the people are being heard in the streets of every city. Contrary to reality, the present ruling party had given hope to the voters which the government could not fulfil due to the battered economy as the people were shown a rose bed by making loud claims. People saw their dreams and hopes shattered and the castles they had built in the air falling.
Political polarisation is on the rise and the Parliament House looks like a wrestling ring. A culture of disrespect and indecency is being witnessed in the Parliament House by both the government and the opposition. I think we need to show more political maturity and decency in Parliament in a pragmatic and result-oriented way.
A confused and politically immature government and an ineffective parliament can lead the country to the brink of instability and serious consequences.
We all have to think about how to find a viable way out of the crisis with national unity to stabilise our economy even though there are no signs of economic recovery at the moment.
(The writer is former Interior Minister of Pakistan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Chairman of Think Tank “Global Eye”. He is the author of four books and his fifth book is about to get published. He can be reached at: rmalik1212@gmail.com, Twitter
@Senrehmanmalik)