January 10, 2008

Having reviewed the manifestos of political parties for election 2008 and finding the policy commitments made therein too broad for a voter to make an informed choice, Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) has engaged political parties to seek their specific policy commitments on 40 concrete policy actions needed in the areas of education, health, drinking water, public utilities, economy and trade, consumer protection, and access to information and transparency.

The policy commitment charts have been sent to major political parties participating in the forthcoming general election in February 2008 to seek their written commitments whether they will implement them, if they are voted to power. The response of the parties will be publicized through media for disseminating party positions, informing voting decisions, and to hold the parties accountable for their performance. This initiative has been taken in collaboration with Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (ISPS)

While giving details of the initiative, Mr. Abrar Hafeez, Secretary General, said that many political parties have only reiterated popular rhetoric and abstract commitments in party manifestos, which hardly reflect the real needs of people. The current situation of deficit in electricity supply, shortage of flour, inflation, and deteriorating situation of law and order, etc. necessitate that political parties come up with clear and concrete policy commitments to solve these problems, he stated. CRCP has urged the political parties to make commitments, among others, that after coming into power, they will raise annual budgets of health from 0.57 percent to 2 percent, and of education from 2.42 percent to 4 percent of GDP. In economy and trade, political parties have been urged to move the taxation system from “regressive” to “progressive”. Due to regressive taxation, the burden of GST on the lowest deciles is 58 per cent higher than the highest deciles. The Central Excise Duty (CED) is the most regressive tax, with the burden on the lowest deciles being 100 per cent higher than on the highest deciles.

CRCP has urged the political parties to make a commitment that they will take steps to reduce line losses of WAPDA and KESC by at least 50 percent of the current losses. During 1996 and 2005, total system losses of WAPDA including auxiliary consumption of generation plants, transmission and distribution losses ranged between 24.13 and 27.55 per cent. KESC’s system losses ranged between 35.14 per cent in 1996 and 47.39 in 2003. As a result, the annual financial loss reaches billions of rupees. Implementation of a comprehensive social protection program, enactment of freedom of information laws in Punjab and NWFP, and enactment of safe drinking water law are also some other policy actions which parties need to take after coming into power, CRCP said.

 

CRCP Engages Political Parties on Citizens’ Agenda