KARACHI: Lawmakers of the provincial assembly on Friday greeted Syed Murad Ali Shah for becoming Sindh’s new chief minister and paid tribute to his predecessor, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, before warning that great challenges lying ahead required participatory form of democracy.

The outgoing chief minister, who had proposed Syed Murad Ali Shah’s candidature in the election, was the first one who went on to vote for him and first again who greeted him when Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani declared that he won it with a big margin.

Soon after the announcement, the outgoing chief minister vacated the seat of the leader of the house, hugged Murad Ali Shah and went to sit next to PPP’s parliamentary leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro.

“Majority’s choice can never be wrong,” said Mr Shah during his speech in the house. He was accorded with standing ovation two times during the session amid rich tribute paid by every stalwart in the house.

He congratulated Murad Ali Shah for his victory in the election and lauded his abilities and intellect by sharing his personal interaction with the new chief minister. He said Mr Shah had worked with him for eight years during which he showed his intellect in many sectors and delivered.

“He is an intelligent person and will certainly deliver to the people of Sindh during his government,” said Mr Shah.

He said the next 18 months were challenging, and added that being part of the team he would always be there to support and help the new chief minister to overcome every challenge that came his way.

“We are committed to our people. We have delivered before and we’ll deliver in future too.”

He said democracy in the country was fruit of the sacrifices rendered by the Pakistan Peoples Party leaders and it would benefit everyone without discrimination.

Speaking on the occasion, Leader of the Opposition Khwaja Izharul Hasan said the Sindh government under the new leadership should empower the common man through local government system, which was one aspect of the participatory democracy.

He said corruption that was rampant had to be tackled on war footings. The new chief minister, he said, must also ensure that nepotism should not take away all the good things he had planned for the betterment of the province.

He said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement did not participate in the election to express their alienation with the present system. “We have expressed our alienation, otherwise we know importance of the vote and we have been exercising it on all occasions. The election of the Senate chairman was the newest example of it,” he said.

He said it was sad that not just the MQM, but the entire community of Urdu-speaking people was being pushed to the wall which if allowed to happen further would be a major political blunder.

“As democracy is solution to everything, the new chief minister should show democracy in all respects,” said Mr Hasan.

He said the MQM still maintained working relationship with the PPP but that relationship did not mean that his party had some tacit understanding with the ruling party when it decided to abstain from voting. “This expression of alienation is one huge protest and that should be realized by the government.”

He paid rich tribute to Syed Qaim Ali Shah who, he said, tried his level best to accompany the opposition along during his government.

PPP’s parliamentary leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro congratulated the new leader of the house and paid tribute to Syed Qaim Ali Shah who, as Speaker Durrani said, he considered his teacher of parliamentary politics.

He said the outgoing chief minister remained loyal to the party in all situations and never left it.

He said the PPP had history of sacrifices which ultimately benefited everyone in the country. “We are proud to see a young leader among us,” he said, adding that the number by which the PPP candidate won dispelled all rumours and ‘shows we are rock solid as ever’.

MQM’s parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said participatory democracy was remedy to the ills plaguing the democratic culture. He said an effective local government system could balance out the present system in which common man would feel oneself empowered. Besides, he said, provision of justice to everyone would play wonders.

Khurram Sher Zaman, the losing candidate, said he contested the election to strengthen democracy. He criticised ‘rampant corruption’ in Sindh and demanded more investment in the health and education sectors.

Ismail Rahu, parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said his party did not vote in the election because it believed the change of faces would not bring about any real change in Sindh.

PTI’s parliamentary leader Samar Ali Khan said his party believed in the constitution, because of which it fielded its candidate in the election.

Rauf Siddiqui, MQM’s lawmaker who was brought from the jail on the production orders issued by the speaker, was specially allowed by the chair to deliver the first speech.

Mr Siddiqui thanked Speaker Durrani, greeted the new chief minister and asked him to ensure justice and education in the province that he said would be the real game changer.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016