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End of Charter of Democracy?
Global Village Space |
Dr. Muhammad Ali Ehsan |
Arriving on the heels of 70th independence day of this country, the judgment by the Supreme Court on the “Panama gate scandal” has hopefully changed and turned the ways politics will now be conducted in this country. The judgment is most likely not only to infuse order in a society that remained ‘autocratically manipulated’ and ‘democratically corrupted’ but also change the most important aspect of the state – power.
Those that have for long believed that it’s not the process or the system (means) but the end result (end) that matters will have to change the ways of their politics to attune to the new post Panama judgment political landscape in this country in which institutions would now matter more than the individual leaders.
Read more: Nawaz’s disqualification: Will Pakistan descend into chaos?
COD: Allowing endless corruption
Democracy was always inclined to serve the people but entitling and servicing people was never possible through ‘chartering democracy’ (an agreement signed between Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in 2006) that literally wiped out democratic accountability from the political system in this country making those in government not only powerful but unchallenged and corrupt to the core.
Stopped in its tracks by the judgment of the Supreme Court, PML (N) government has now not only to bear the indignity of seeing their thrice elected Prime Minister being disqualified on the charges of corruption but also the embarrassment of witnessing the trial of the family members of their leader and tainted leadership in the party- all to be tried by NAB.
If the idea was to put up a united front against the other competing power – the military- it worked. The generals were kept at a distance from the parliament but the parliament also distanced itself from the people. Governed by the principle of ‘democracy is the best revenge’, Pakistan witnessed allegedly the most corrupt government complete its constitutional tenure (2008-2013). It became most corrupt because it was allowed to become so by the ‘charter of democracy signed and restrained opposition’ in the parliament.
Those that didn’t act and check the ‘looters and plunders’ of the national wealth during their tenure in the opposition were reciprocally given the same treatment when they came to power in 2013. And then Panama happened. Stopped in its tracks by the judgment of the Supreme Court, PML (N) government has now not only to bear the indignity of seeing their thrice elected Prime Minister being disqualified on the charges of corruption but also the embarrassment of witnessing the trial of the family members of their leader and tainted leadership in the party- all to be tried by NAB.
Read more: Countering Sharif’s apologists
Supreme Court check mates the corrupt political elite
With the end of PML (N) government in 2017, the ‘Charter of democracy’ would have turned a full circle and come to its beginning. Democracy in Pakistan emerged from the ashes of dictatorship, evolved (2008-2017) in a (charter of democracy signed) corrupt system only to be stopped in its tracks by a judiciary that has now held the corrupt countable. By doing this, the judiciary has ensured that the charter of democracy signed and designed corrupt political system would no more prevail.
If this was not enough, we opened ourselves to the Arab world as well. The superpower (USA) patronage and the Wahhabi Islamism that together with endless weaponry and limitless funds that were showered on us as blessings created this intolerant and fighting with itself and its identity Pakistan that we have today.
One million people died and 15 million were uprooted from their homes when Pakistan came into being. If this country was led and governed by abled men and women, would seven decades of political instability be the cost we would be paying? Military dictators opened their arms to embrace American patronage ($78 billion received as military and economic aid from them since independence) and thus gave them the right not only to infringe our sovereignty but also act as our masters to ask us to ‘do more’ and continue doing more.
If this was not enough, we opened ourselves to the Arab world as well. The superpower (USA) patronage and the Wahhabi Islamism that together with endless weaponry and limitless funds that were showered on us as blessings, created this intolerant society that we have today.
Read more: No judicialization but only democratization of democracy
Politicians making mockery of democracy
The two very relevant questions that one may ask are – Is Pakistan in this state because of the military dictatorship and military rules? Does the military keep the politicians under check in Pakistan?
These questions are important to be asked, debated and answered because these very questions will be the civilian electioneering slogans in the run up to 2018 elections. Spiked by the Supreme Court decision, democracy is most likely to jump on the ‘revenge bandwagon’ to challenge the only other stakeholder and competitor of power – the military.
In fact, both the Zardari and the Nawaz Sharif governments (2008-2017) have demonstrated a keen desire to unilaterally spearhead policy making and taking actions that are not preceded by thoroughly debated and deliberated political and military estimates and without considering the long term effects of such actions on the national security.
Seen in the context of the post-General Musharaf military standpoint and view that democracy must be allowed to flourish in this country, the military cannot be entirely blamed for keeping the politicians in check. Politicians themselves have demonstrated that they lack the political will to thoroughly deliberate important issues that are related to our national interests in the parliaments.
Read full article....
End of Charter of Democracy?
Global Village Space |
Dr. Muhammad Ali Ehsan |
Arriving on the heels of 70th independence day of this country, the judgment by the Supreme Court on the “Panama gate scandal” has hopefully changed and turned the ways politics will now be conducted in this country. The judgment is most likely not only to infuse order in a society that remained ‘autocratically manipulated’ and ‘democratically corrupted’ but also change the most important aspect of the state – power.
Those that have for long believed that it’s not the process or the system (means) but the end result (end) that matters will have to change the ways of their politics to attune to the new post Panama judgment political landscape in this country in which institutions would now matter more than the individual leaders.
Read more: Nawaz’s disqualification: Will Pakistan descend into chaos?
COD: Allowing endless corruption
Democracy was always inclined to serve the people but entitling and servicing people was never possible through ‘chartering democracy’ (an agreement signed between Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in 2006) that literally wiped out democratic accountability from the political system in this country making those in government not only powerful but unchallenged and corrupt to the core.
Stopped in its tracks by the judgment of the Supreme Court, PML (N) government has now not only to bear the indignity of seeing their thrice elected Prime Minister being disqualified on the charges of corruption but also the embarrassment of witnessing the trial of the family members of their leader and tainted leadership in the party- all to be tried by NAB.
If the idea was to put up a united front against the other competing power – the military- it worked. The generals were kept at a distance from the parliament but the parliament also distanced itself from the people. Governed by the principle of ‘democracy is the best revenge’, Pakistan witnessed allegedly the most corrupt government complete its constitutional tenure (2008-2013). It became most corrupt because it was allowed to become so by the ‘charter of democracy signed and restrained opposition’ in the parliament.
Those that didn’t act and check the ‘looters and plunders’ of the national wealth during their tenure in the opposition were reciprocally given the same treatment when they came to power in 2013. And then Panama happened. Stopped in its tracks by the judgment of the Supreme Court, PML (N) government has now not only to bear the indignity of seeing their thrice elected Prime Minister being disqualified on the charges of corruption but also the embarrassment of witnessing the trial of the family members of their leader and tainted leadership in the party- all to be tried by NAB.
Read more: Countering Sharif’s apologists
Supreme Court check mates the corrupt political elite
With the end of PML (N) government in 2017, the ‘Charter of democracy’ would have turned a full circle and come to its beginning. Democracy in Pakistan emerged from the ashes of dictatorship, evolved (2008-2017) in a (charter of democracy signed) corrupt system only to be stopped in its tracks by a judiciary that has now held the corrupt countable. By doing this, the judiciary has ensured that the charter of democracy signed and designed corrupt political system would no more prevail.
If this was not enough, we opened ourselves to the Arab world as well. The superpower (USA) patronage and the Wahhabi Islamism that together with endless weaponry and limitless funds that were showered on us as blessings created this intolerant and fighting with itself and its identity Pakistan that we have today.
One million people died and 15 million were uprooted from their homes when Pakistan came into being. If this country was led and governed by abled men and women, would seven decades of political instability be the cost we would be paying? Military dictators opened their arms to embrace American patronage ($78 billion received as military and economic aid from them since independence) and thus gave them the right not only to infringe our sovereignty but also act as our masters to ask us to ‘do more’ and continue doing more.
If this was not enough, we opened ourselves to the Arab world as well. The superpower (USA) patronage and the Wahhabi Islamism that together with endless weaponry and limitless funds that were showered on us as blessings, created this intolerant society that we have today.
Read more: No judicialization but only democratization of democracy
Politicians making mockery of democracy
The two very relevant questions that one may ask are – Is Pakistan in this state because of the military dictatorship and military rules? Does the military keep the politicians under check in Pakistan?
These questions are important to be asked, debated and answered because these very questions will be the civilian electioneering slogans in the run up to 2018 elections. Spiked by the Supreme Court decision, democracy is most likely to jump on the ‘revenge bandwagon’ to challenge the only other stakeholder and competitor of power – the military.
In fact, both the Zardari and the Nawaz Sharif governments (2008-2017) have demonstrated a keen desire to unilaterally spearhead policy making and taking actions that are not preceded by thoroughly debated and deliberated political and military estimates and without considering the long term effects of such actions on the national security.
Seen in the context of the post-General Musharaf military standpoint and view that democracy must be allowed to flourish in this country, the military cannot be entirely blamed for keeping the politicians in check. Politicians themselves have demonstrated that they lack the political will to thoroughly deliberate important issues that are related to our national interests in the parliaments.
Read full article....
End of Charter of Democracy?
