pkpatriotic
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2008
- Messages
- 2,317
- Reaction score
- 0
A goal or a slogan?
Taj M Khattak - Retired Vice Admiral
The head of government in any established democracy, in the face of such widespread disenchantment as there is today in Pakistan, would by now have gone for a vote of confidence in parliament to settle the argument of public support one way or the other. Regardless of which way the vote swayed, the democratic traditions of the country would have been the sole winner, but that is not so in Pakistan.
To be fair to the prime minister, the fact that during his recent outburst in the national assembly, he did not even consider the 'vote of confidence' option, is reflective of the invisible cost this country has paid for the frequent derailment of the democratic process resulting in hollow democratic norms. This begs the larger question whether democracy in Pakistan is a genuine and cherished goal or merely a slogan of the ruling elite to further their own interests.
This question assumes greater significance when mere murmurs about midterm polls become synonymous with the opposition being 'enemies of the state'. If the 'scope of parliamentary democracy' is so restricted, then all one can say is that Allah knoweth best about the future of democracy in Pakistan.
The prime minister would do well to introspect as to which of the 'Es' in his party's election manifesto (education, employment, energy, environments and equality) have been served in the interest of the public during the last two and half years and to what extent. If in the public's perception, these 'Es' are fast turning into big 'Fs', then it is the government that has to get its act together .
It was heartening to hear the PM express himself emphatically that there was no danger of imposition of martial law in the country. The present state of affairs would have tested the patience of many of yester years' men on horseback long ago, but the nation is lucky to have a General Kiyani as COAS.
This rather unique and most welcome environment of a receding threat of military takeover, however, now needs to be translated into a longer term strategic advantage for the cause of democracy rather than encashing the short term dividend of completing a five-year term by the ruling party which is increasingly becoming contentious.
Benazir Bhutto may have uttered the phrase 'Democracy is the best revenge' in an entirely different set of circumstances but its various connotations today are best left unstated. Like the chemical in crocodiles which heals their internal wounds, our politicians have to find what it takes to heal the past's wounds in their parties. There has been too much of looking back over the shoulders and shedding crocodile tears. We need a forward movement.
It is one of Pakistan's misfortunes that the PPP, with roots in the poor of all the four provinces, has largely remained a single-person unit; first with Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, then Benazir and lately with Zardari, where the other stalwarts merely discover what is on the boss' mind and then conjure up a long-winded argument to reach just the same conclusion. Sycophancy may be universal but we certainly are matchless in this art.
For a whiff of freshness, the central control in politics should not remain captive in the hands of the old guard for too long. If all avenues of new approaches are blocked one by one and fatigue is allowed to set in, then politics tend to decay and political parties become prone to internal haemorrhage. Is there any surprise then, that we see so many 'forward blocs' in various parties these days and dreams of roti, kapra, makan and Khushal Pakistan remain dreams only.
Politicians, it seems, never get old in Pakistan. At a recent political event in Karachi, chaired by an octogenarian leader, one was reminded of a verse by a famous poet: 'Go haath ko junbish nahin, aankon mein tu dum haey. Rehney do abhi meena o saaghar meiry agahey'. The English translation will not hold a candle to the original's flavour so it will not even be attempted.
Democracy, on its own is only a concept. The men who have to make that concept work are more important than the concept itself. It is true that politics is an engine for social change, but the truth is that it comes only when political parties show a greater understanding of people's sensitivities. Any changes for the poor will always remain elusive as long as party leaders only vie to become centres of raw power that has little or no responsibility attached to it.
President Zardari is the current example of amassing all powers onto himself while Nawaz Sharif's aspiration to become 'Ameer-ul-Momineen' of yester years is another. It was therefore disappointing when the 18th amendment dispensed with intra-party elections, which ironically the former military dictator had instituted. Dictators wanting democratisation of politics, and democrats wanting concentration of power unto themselves? What a paradox and what a joke with democracy.
Responding to a recent report by Transparency International, the prime minister issued a baffling statement that there is no corruption in the country. It is obvious he feels there is still enough water under the keel from our current score of 2.1 to match Somalia's 1.1 on the TI Index.
The prime minister may please accept that corruption is the fastest growing religion in Pakistan and it has to be checked. No prizes for guessing who the prophet of this religion is. It would not be in the fitness of things if he looks up to scaling new heights on the TI index rather than looking down to plumb new depths next year.
That said, we should give more space to our prime minster as we go through all the flaws and warts of democracy. The media took a serious view of Gilani's mere expressions of anger on the national assembly's floor, while in next-door India, Dr Manmohan Singh, by signing the Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) at IAEA Vienna recently has all but reversed what its parliament had institutionalised by law to avoid future Bhopal-like tragedies.
Dr Singh's action may have something to do with his obsession to leave behind a legacy of an architect of cheap nuclear energy as India powers ahead economically into the future but the fact remains that he bypassed parliament on an important issue. Whither the sovereignty and supremacy of parliament? Here we cry out Article 6 when the High Court judges are given an extension to avoid a tricky situation.
Tail Piece: Now that PM Gilani has accepted that Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto's decision to nationalise schools in 1972 was a mistake, could he also comment as to why Bhutto rejected the Poland-sponsored UN resolution on December 15, 1971, thus effectively taking out whatever fight was left in General Niazi and leading to his unconditional surrender the next morning.
As Napoleon famously said, 'A leader is a dealer in hope'. These days, whatever else the Zardari-Gilani duo may be dealing in, it is certainly not hope in the future of democracy.
We expect of them not to fracture the nation's hopes and genuinely make democracy in Pakistan a cherished goal rather than the mere slogan it presently seems to be.
The writer is a retired Vice Admiral of the Pakistan Navy.
Taj M Khattak - Retired Vice Admiral
The head of government in any established democracy, in the face of such widespread disenchantment as there is today in Pakistan, would by now have gone for a vote of confidence in parliament to settle the argument of public support one way or the other. Regardless of which way the vote swayed, the democratic traditions of the country would have been the sole winner, but that is not so in Pakistan.
To be fair to the prime minister, the fact that during his recent outburst in the national assembly, he did not even consider the 'vote of confidence' option, is reflective of the invisible cost this country has paid for the frequent derailment of the democratic process resulting in hollow democratic norms. This begs the larger question whether democracy in Pakistan is a genuine and cherished goal or merely a slogan of the ruling elite to further their own interests.
This question assumes greater significance when mere murmurs about midterm polls become synonymous with the opposition being 'enemies of the state'. If the 'scope of parliamentary democracy' is so restricted, then all one can say is that Allah knoweth best about the future of democracy in Pakistan.
The prime minister would do well to introspect as to which of the 'Es' in his party's election manifesto (education, employment, energy, environments and equality) have been served in the interest of the public during the last two and half years and to what extent. If in the public's perception, these 'Es' are fast turning into big 'Fs', then it is the government that has to get its act together .
It was heartening to hear the PM express himself emphatically that there was no danger of imposition of martial law in the country. The present state of affairs would have tested the patience of many of yester years' men on horseback long ago, but the nation is lucky to have a General Kiyani as COAS.
This rather unique and most welcome environment of a receding threat of military takeover, however, now needs to be translated into a longer term strategic advantage for the cause of democracy rather than encashing the short term dividend of completing a five-year term by the ruling party which is increasingly becoming contentious.
Benazir Bhutto may have uttered the phrase 'Democracy is the best revenge' in an entirely different set of circumstances but its various connotations today are best left unstated. Like the chemical in crocodiles which heals their internal wounds, our politicians have to find what it takes to heal the past's wounds in their parties. There has been too much of looking back over the shoulders and shedding crocodile tears. We need a forward movement.
It is one of Pakistan's misfortunes that the PPP, with roots in the poor of all the four provinces, has largely remained a single-person unit; first with Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, then Benazir and lately with Zardari, where the other stalwarts merely discover what is on the boss' mind and then conjure up a long-winded argument to reach just the same conclusion. Sycophancy may be universal but we certainly are matchless in this art.
For a whiff of freshness, the central control in politics should not remain captive in the hands of the old guard for too long. If all avenues of new approaches are blocked one by one and fatigue is allowed to set in, then politics tend to decay and political parties become prone to internal haemorrhage. Is there any surprise then, that we see so many 'forward blocs' in various parties these days and dreams of roti, kapra, makan and Khushal Pakistan remain dreams only.
Politicians, it seems, never get old in Pakistan. At a recent political event in Karachi, chaired by an octogenarian leader, one was reminded of a verse by a famous poet: 'Go haath ko junbish nahin, aankon mein tu dum haey. Rehney do abhi meena o saaghar meiry agahey'. The English translation will not hold a candle to the original's flavour so it will not even be attempted.
Democracy, on its own is only a concept. The men who have to make that concept work are more important than the concept itself. It is true that politics is an engine for social change, but the truth is that it comes only when political parties show a greater understanding of people's sensitivities. Any changes for the poor will always remain elusive as long as party leaders only vie to become centres of raw power that has little or no responsibility attached to it.
President Zardari is the current example of amassing all powers onto himself while Nawaz Sharif's aspiration to become 'Ameer-ul-Momineen' of yester years is another. It was therefore disappointing when the 18th amendment dispensed with intra-party elections, which ironically the former military dictator had instituted. Dictators wanting democratisation of politics, and democrats wanting concentration of power unto themselves? What a paradox and what a joke with democracy.
Responding to a recent report by Transparency International, the prime minister issued a baffling statement that there is no corruption in the country. It is obvious he feels there is still enough water under the keel from our current score of 2.1 to match Somalia's 1.1 on the TI Index.
The prime minister may please accept that corruption is the fastest growing religion in Pakistan and it has to be checked. No prizes for guessing who the prophet of this religion is. It would not be in the fitness of things if he looks up to scaling new heights on the TI index rather than looking down to plumb new depths next year.
That said, we should give more space to our prime minster as we go through all the flaws and warts of democracy. The media took a serious view of Gilani's mere expressions of anger on the national assembly's floor, while in next-door India, Dr Manmohan Singh, by signing the Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) at IAEA Vienna recently has all but reversed what its parliament had institutionalised by law to avoid future Bhopal-like tragedies.
Dr Singh's action may have something to do with his obsession to leave behind a legacy of an architect of cheap nuclear energy as India powers ahead economically into the future but the fact remains that he bypassed parliament on an important issue. Whither the sovereignty and supremacy of parliament? Here we cry out Article 6 when the High Court judges are given an extension to avoid a tricky situation.
Tail Piece: Now that PM Gilani has accepted that Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto's decision to nationalise schools in 1972 was a mistake, could he also comment as to why Bhutto rejected the Poland-sponsored UN resolution on December 15, 1971, thus effectively taking out whatever fight was left in General Niazi and leading to his unconditional surrender the next morning.
As Napoleon famously said, 'A leader is a dealer in hope'. These days, whatever else the Zardari-Gilani duo may be dealing in, it is certainly not hope in the future of democracy.
We expect of them not to fracture the nation's hopes and genuinely make democracy in Pakistan a cherished goal rather than the mere slogan it presently seems to be.
The writer is a retired Vice Admiral of the Pakistan Navy.
