Last nail?

THE hybrid set-up may be evasive, but pro-regime gurus say a constitutional amendment is on the cards. Before the last two controversial amendments were passed, they had given out similar information. So, we must review the dubious ideas presented as panaceas, because this set-up has again preferred covert feelers over open debate and may pass the amendment in a non-transparent way, as it has done earlier. Most of our past 27 amendments benefited elites and were enacted under similar set-ups. One idea is to raise the voting age to 25. Nearly all states worldwide set it at 18 or lower, as science shows cognitive ability reaches adult levels by 16-18 years. The few exceptions are mostly autocracies. Some say this idea is actually aimed at barring the many young PTI voters. Oddly, our rulers don’t fret much about underage marriages and labour. Another vacuous idea is to cut provincial shares in federal tax funds. The excuse offered is that the centre is bankrupt as the provinces take 57.5 per cent of its tax money. Conversely, many have pointed out that the centre actually collects provincial funds, as federal taxes are mainly collected through activities in the provinces. The centre hogs the best tax and non-tax heads yet runs large deficits. However, the centre has often had bigger deficits even before provincial shares rose. The right way to cut deficits is to raise our very low GDP growth and tax-to-GDP ratio to expand the pie, reduce the huge waste in the centre’s outlays, especially given devolution, and lessen local and regional tensions as well as defence outlays. As all this lies in the centre’s domain, the onus is on it to mend its ways. Provinces must raise tax inflows and cut wasteful expenditure, but their revenues should be focused on uplifting poor areas. The stale idea that having countless provinces will end misrule is doing the rounds again. It would make sense if we had able rulers. But our misrule only persists. More units will lead to greater misru