A cruel law and the budget
By Mir Jamilur Rahman
satureday, JUNE 09, 2007
Laws are made for the general good of the people. And in a democratic society, they are made by public representatives. It is the prerogative of the parliament to make laws according to a procedure that allows maximum debate on the pros and cons of the proposed law. However, in our constitution, there is a provision that allows the executive to make laws when the National Assembly is not in session. This provision in fact makes a mockery of democracy. Whether elected or otherwise, no government has ever contemplated doing away with this provision, because it suits every government to have the power of law-making.
Gagging of the press has always been a preferred game of every government, with one exception. The late Junejo perhaps was the only Prime Minister who never felt scared of free media. He happens to be the only Prime Minister who sent three of his cabinet ministers packing home because they were alleged to have indulged in corrupt practices.
President General Pervez Musharraf is a military dictator, and yet he never made any law to muzzle the press. He understood the value of free press and open debate. He has an open mind and welcomes criticism. He interacts with journalists and engages them in debate on important current issues, domestic and foreign. He remains patient even when provoked with most critical reviews of his policies. He is a good listener; seldom interrupting a question or comment. It was entirely his initiative that gave birth and phenomenal rise to independent television channels.
The sacking of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on March 9 changed the entire perspective about freedom of expression. It abruptly brought to an end the government-media honeymoon which had withstood testing times without sinking in disharmony. The sacking and the subsequent events which climaxed in Karachi on May 12 became the hottest news the nascent TV channels had encountered in their short life. The sacked CJ was on TV screens round the clock, either in person or being discussed in the talk shows. The people were glued to their TV sets. They ignored their favourite programmes; the CJ show became the most watched programme in Pakistan. The Chief Justice was upsetting the apple cart and something had to be done to get him out off the TV screen. Hence the PEMRA amendment law which is utterly cruel as it aims at discouraging the electronic media industry. It will render many people jobless. To be sure, the entertainment industry is the biggest provider of jobs in the world.
The amended law gives extensive powers to PEMRA to subvert the broadcasts of independent TV channels. PEMRA could order the cable operators, which number 1700 nationwide, to remove a recalcitrant TV channel from their circuits thus imposing an illegal censorship. It could seal the premises of a TV channel and take into custody its broadcasting equipment. It could cancel the licence of a private TV channel and/or fine it up to Rs 10 million for disobeying PEMRA rules. Many viewers must have watched in wonder the comings and goings of their favourite talk shows. One moment they are on the screen going full blast and the next, they disappear without a whimper leaving the screen blank.
The journalist community is strongly protesting the unjust law. At stake are not only freedom of media but jobs of TV journalists and other workers. If the licence of a private TV channel was suspended or cancelled, hundreds would become jobless adding to the number of unemployed in the country. Is it appropriate to reduce job opportunities on the eve of the budget? What would the jobless journalists do? Most probably swell the rallies of protesting lawyers.
Good news: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has suspended the application of the new PEMRA Ordinance. A committee has been formed consisting of representatives of broadcasters and the information ministry to negotiate a settlement without compromising freedom of expression and independence of private TV channels.
Today is an important day because this evening, the annual budget will be presented in the National Assembly. The State Minister for Finance in his speech would recount his government's achievements during the current financial year and set out goals for the next financial year. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who also holds the portfolio of Finance, has repeatedly said that the people would vote for the present set up because it has done wonders for the economy. In his opinion, it is the overall performance of the PML-Q particularly in the economic field that would influence the voters' mind.
Undoubtedly, the GDP has gone up. Pakistan is maintaining a reasonable rate of growth. The per capita income has increased appreciably. Forex reserves are stable. Direct foreign investment is trickling in. In short, all the economic indicators are encouraging and the government has met its economic targets set in the last budget.
Unfortunately, the common man does not understand GDP growth and thinks that if it is such a good thing then why prices of kitchen items are going up, up and up. He feels a distant satisfaction that forex reserves are stable as he is unable to make out what benefits that stability would give him. The residents of Karachi know that the quality of life would remain poor for many years to come because the government has failed to plan ahead for electricity and clean drinking water. The urban citizens, especially those living in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad/Rawalpindi live dangerously, chasing public transport which mostly consists of wagons. Several governments one after the other have thought loud for providing mass transit facility to the dwellers of big cities but no serious attempt has been made to provide this most essential facility to the people. Today's budget would be silent on this important issue.
When people go to vote in a few months, economic progress would not be on their minds, because our economic progress is not tangible enough to be felt by all and sundry. They will cast their votes on political grounds. While voting, their minds will go back to March 9, reliving the sacking and manhandling of the CJP. They will relive the events of that day and the days that followed, especially the Karachi bloodshed of May 12 that took away over 40 lives while the administration looked the other way. They would not forget the government's attempt to silence the private TV channels.
There is no chance that by the time elections are held, the people would have forgotten about March 9 and May 12. The opposition would not let the people forget the indignities perpetrated against the CJ, lawyers and journalists.
The writer is a freelance columnist. Email:
mirjrahman@yahoo.com
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=59794