Clippings Detail
Approving law on rights and privileges for MPs: Struggle for perks, but hush over national issues?
“Why should the MPs get 25% of their salary and other privileges after retirement when their performance is absolutely zero and done nothing except devouring the national treasure”
Analysis
By Abdul Zuhoor Qayomi
KABUL: Though, electoral deadlock is over but lawmakers in the Lower House of the parliament are still wasting their time while discussing the electoral issues which has been resolved by the United States, instead of the legislator who label themselves as “custodians of the Constitution” and “servants of public”.
Despite the fact that electoral deadlock is over now, but debates of the MPs over dead issue don’t have an end in sight although there are bundles of challenges that need their attention.
Educated segment of the society is always seen criticizing the legislators as different laws in the Lower House (LH) or Wolesi Jirga are on waiting list but they remain absent, most of the time. Although, the speaker and administrative board vowed to take action against the MPs who have adopted absenteeism as habit, but no punishment is in sight—due to the reasons best known to them.
Sometimes on Monday which is specified for holding general plenary, the administrative board of the LH cancels it and allocates the time to parliamentary committees for debates on a number of laws which failed to grab their attention during past days.
On July 14 for the second time the LH cancelled the plenary on Monday. It was thought that this time the LH will discuss the pending laws as MPs’ term is approaching towards its end and their performance, whether poor or good, will make headlines.
Based on Internal Jobs Principles (IJP), on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday the MPs must attend the sessions while on Sunday and Tuesday members of the parliamentary committees had to perform its duty.
Chief of Environmental and Natural Resources Committee of the LH, Obaidullah Rameen, in an interview with Afghanistan Times termed absence of the MPs in parliamentary committees as “waste of time”. Parliamentary committees are major sources where laws are prepared after technical debate and draft laws are included to agenda of the general plenary.
Mostly, the parliamentary committees remain inactive due to lack of quorum as many times only five MPs out of 20 members show their presence in the committees. The challenges will remain until the parliamentarians do not change themselves while giving up their bad habits such as of absenteeism and laziness.
Half of the MPs do not know why the session has been adjourned, said Hassan Shahraiee, a representative of nomads in the LH. He added that several laws in the parliamentary committees for debate as decided by the administrative board of the LH. He said there are a large number of laws that require technical debate in order to approve, but soon, as the summer vacations are near.
He said on the other hand the MPs are working over the fiscal year account while legislative round is going to be over soon.
Member of the Telecommunication and Urban Development Committee of the LH, Sayed Ekram Masomi, said his committee is still working on a number of laws which are under “process of discussions”. Masomi while not providing numbers of the unapproved laws said that there might be 12 laws which need technical debate.
Baktash Seyawash, an MP from Kabul, said that large a number of MPs are busy in electoral campaigns in order to get space in the next administration.
Pointing towards the bill recently approved by the LH to give more perks and privileges to the MPs, Seyawash said, “Therefore, it is not fair to allocate such huge budget to the retired MPs and put some extra weight on poor economy.”
Ramazan Bashardost, another MP from Kabul, expressed his disagreement over approval of the bill and said: “Why should the MPs get 25% of their salary and other privileges after retirement when their performance is absolutely zero and done nothing except devouring the national treasure”.
He said the MPs can bring improvements in the country as the constitution allowed them, they have tried so.
Corruption has increased to 99% from 50% since the parliament was formed in 2005, and insecurity surged from 30% to 100 percent, while joblessness is more than 80 percent, he said.
According to him MPs are responsible for all mistakes and laziness of the ministers because they had given “vote of confidence” to them. “Confidence votes are cast on basis of nepotism, ethnicity, tribal affiliation and corruption. Therefore, allocation of such privileges is illegal because MPs don’t deserve,” said Bashardost.
The LH has recently approved the Rights and Privileges Law (RPL) for the retired lawmakers while sparking criticism across the country. The law comprises of 20 articles and four chapters. The criticism is based on one main point which says that Afghanistan’s economy is weak and the country is facing financial crisis but yet the MPs are thinking of enjoyment and personal benefits instead of doing something for the country at this critical juncture. Moreover, the criticizers also say that over 50% of the national budget comes from international donors, therefore the law is like rubbing salt to one’s wounds.
According to the RPL the retired MPs will be given 25% of their salary. Every MP gets 195,000 Afghanis per month as salary.
Issuance of diplomatic and service passports for the retired MPs and their family members, health insurance, two body guards, driver and weapon’s license are other privileges mentioned in the law. The law also says that retired MP must be invited in the official ceremonies as national and political personality.
Engineer Sahib Khan, an MP from Logar, labeled the law as safety of the MPs rather than a privilege. He said that it is their legal right as a political and respected figure to enjoy the perks and privileges for working in a five-year legislative round as an MP. “The retired MPs must have some intellectual and financial privileges after retirement so the lawmaker could live a life of dignity along with family members because the legislator [MP] cannot start business like other common people in the country,” he said.
He said that as an MP he cannot live without any fear in his province after retirement due to insecurity. He said if he stayed in the capital city of the country then there would be no problem, however, after retirement he would be an easy target for militants and foreign spies in his constituency if there was no security.
Mosa Khan Nasrat, an MP from Farah, also termed it as their legal right and said that whatever was approved is based on the parliamentary norms, common in the region and European countries.
“Pakistani, Iranians, and Turkish MPs enjoy the same privileges what had been mentioned in our law.” He added.
Second Deputy Speaker of the LH, Salih Mohammad Saljoqi, said that the law was not implemented because it was still a draft and needs consent of the Senate.
Second Secretary of the LH, Urfanullah Urfan, acknowledged that MPs are mostly found absent thus wasting their time.
He said that still several laws were in pending due to technical debates in the committees.
“Absenteeism of MPs show their disloyalty and suggests that the lawmakers are not sincere with their country and jobs, which is a phenomenon because it is not only found in the parliament but in other pillars of the state as well,” he said.
The salaries they are receiving from the government are illegal according to Sharia Law, he said.
Lack of full authority with the administrative board was one of the major factors responsible for unpunished absenteeism of MPs, said Urfan, adding the LH does not have comprehensive mechanism or principles to force the MPs to do their job.
“If an MP was absent for more than five days in a month then his salary would be deducted and his name would be announced through state television. These are the common rules we have to regulate MPs. These regulations are implemented by the administrative board. However, these rules have not proved fruitful because many MPs do not depend on salaries. There are Mps who earn $2,500 a month from other sources, therefore, deducting 2,000 Afghanis from his salary will not change his habit,” he said.
Referring to the RPL he said that MPs enjoy special status in every country of the world. Therefore, they should be entitled to some privileges because they are recognized as political figures of the country.
“It is their right to have it, although I am not so much agreed with allocation of 25% of their whole salary rule due to lack of clarification of the financial source for payment,” he said.
He said licenses for weapons should be issued to MPs because they are insecure.
Based on information of the lawmakers, legislator in other regional countries also enjoy the same benefits. Afghan MPs mostly quote Turkey and Pakistan in this regard.
Turkey provides diplomatic passport, $3000 per month as basic salary and additional facilities to those MPs who have served at least for two years.
The Turkish government also provides 50 percent discount on postal, telephone, travel and transport services as privileges for lawmakers.
Similarly, Pakistani lawmakers get Rs 120,000 to 200,000 per month as salary. They are also entitled to other privileges such as Rs140,000 as office expenditures and Rs 48,000 as traveling concession.
Analysts say that insecurity, unemployment, financial constraints faced by the country, withdrawal of the coalition troops by the end of 2014 and other challenges are the issues that should catch attention of the parliament as well.
Gul Nadeem, an analyst and journalist, said the lawmakers should not compare Afghanistan to Turkey or Pakistan, because the two countries have strong economies and their budgets do not depend on over 60 percent donations. If Afghan MPs ask for diplomatic passport and license for weapon then the government shall accept these demands. However, to receive 25% of salary even after retirement as well as two bodyguards, these demands give clues about mindset and performance of the MPs.
“If economies of the two countries have been compared with Afghanistan then it would become crystal clear that decision of the MPs to get more perks and privileges is like rubbing salt to injuries of poor Afghans who are suffering from poverty and insecurity,” he said.
He added that we should gauge economic power of Turkey and Pakistan before comparison. “Turkey has the world’s 17th-largest economy and is growing quickly. According international financial institutes, Turkey will become one of the world’s ten largest economies by 2023, because the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has reached an annual nine percent in 2011,” he said.
He went on to say that Turkey spends over $4 billion every year on weapons and upgrades, while the defense budgets have remained around $10 billion a year, which makes 1.25 percent of its $8,00 billion GDP. The current GDP per capita in Turkey is $13,026 in purchasing power. Simply, Turkey is earning annually about $10,000 per head. Unemployment rate was 10.20% in February 2014.
Similarly, Pakistan has presented budget this year with total outlay of Rs3.945 trillion. Per capita income in Pakistan has reached $1,386 while foreign reserves are touching $13.5 billion. According to Jim O’Neill, a British economist, Pakistan would become the 18th largest economy in the world by 2050 with a GDP of US$3.33 trillion, said Gul Nadeem.
“Now examine the economy of Afghanistan and you will get the answer that whether the government should give more privileges to the MPs while putting extra burden on poor public, or reject the bill. The volume of our budget for 2014 is $7.6 billion. At least $5 billion was allocated for ordinary and $2.6 billion for development budget. Not only volume of the budget is too low compared to Pakistan and Turkey, but we are also dependent on foreign donations,” he underlined.
He further said the budget deficit was 14 percent of the country’s GDP in 2013. GDP per capita stands at $424 while exports are touching less than $500 million, but imports are shockingly at $8,931 million. “Therefore, with a GDP standing at $20.72 billion the government should not allow anyone to exploit the national treasure.”
He said that the funds should be allocated for construction of schools, hospitals, bridges, and roads instead of allowing MPs to enjoy perks with family members without delivering much during their five-year term.
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