Give democracy a chance

[ajtr]

Give democracy a chance​

Caught in the spiral of multiple problems, capped by insurgency and terrorism, disquiet with the elected governments is natural. Nor have high-ranking government leaders done much to satisfy the common people. Rather, their administrative and political conduct has given enough ammunition to opportunity-seeking autocratic groups to present democracy as an unworkable form of government for Pakistan.
There are influential social, business and political groups in Pakistan that don’t trust the political parties that often get popular support. In inciting the military establishment to take over power and orchestrating hybrid military-civilian regimes, they have played a great role. What motivated this kind of partnership? Neither any enlightened ideology, nor any longer-term interest in state or nation building had any role. Social class and business interests motivated these disparate groups, individuals and party factions. They have always used political connections for moneymaking ventures.
Elected governments have displaced those aligned with the last hybrid regime and have co-opted those who have realigned with the powerful figures and groups in power. Elite social networks are the bedrock of Pakistani politics; party affiliations, identities and labels have no meaning. Restoration of democracy and elections help reshuffle the political pack. The important players change seats, seek new alliances and build new networks with the same motives of greed, plunder and extorting resources.
The moral of this political story is that the hybrid regimes didn’t give us honest people or those motivated to serve Pakistan and its citizens; everyone entered the game with the same interests and motivations which are generally attributed to the elected and electable political class. Look back at the character and integrity of cabinet ministers, governors and those pulling the strings from the institutional walls and you will know how deceptive and fraudulent the gang was.
We cannot allow the same game to be played under what passes for democracy in the post-hybrid regime. Those genuinely elected by the peoples and laced with popular legitimacy to govern have ethical, legal and political obligations to serve the public and national interest. However, it is true that they have failed in many respects and some of the central players of the political game are responsible for the worsening social and economic conditions of the country. What, then, is the remedy?
The remedy lies in democracy itself. There is no other system in the world that can offer anything better or even remotely close to a democratic system. This system grows with experience and takes roots in the society as voters learn how to change the representatives that violate their trust. The leaders and the parties that have popular mandate today may not have it tomorrow if they violate trust, if we give democracy a chance.
Generally, the urban intellectual and conservative affluent sections of the society mistrust the common man and argue that he is easily manipulated and intimidated into voting for the ruling groups. This is a very simplistic view of the common man and his electoral behaviour. Even in developed countries, citizens remain loyal to their parties over generations. But party identities and commitments dissolve when the parties fail to serve the interests of their constituents.
Our history also confirms the view that voters reject leaders and parties that don’t serve them well, and they explore alternatives when they have an opportunity. Let the present assemblies complete their tenure, so that the people have a chance to judge them on account of their performance. This will prove that democracy is a self-perfecting system and hybridism brings distortions into its natural evolution.

 

[Joe Shearer]

This has always, from the time of Jinnah Sahib, been the only prescription for Pakistan. If she gets back a full measure of democracy, and manages to sustain it for some decades, her masses will gain courage and will understand that they have the power to decide. The elite will be curbed by popular will; they will stop manoeuvring for rent income, and will concentrate on using their financial and entrepreneurial advantages to make money. The military will find that the unquestioning support they got from both the common man and from elitist manipulators has slowly withered away. As the composition of their officer cadres shift over progressively to recruitment from these empowered masses, and away from the manipulative social classes, the thinking of the military itself, that it has to govern the country in lieu of the ostensible governing classes, will slowly wither away. It is to be hoped that the military will concentrate on doing what it should, defending the country without interfering in the administrative and governing process.

Will this lead to peace with Pakistan's neighbours? Maybe, maybe not. Democracies don't go to war with each other, is a well-known aphorism. The reason why relations with her eastern neighbour has not been pleasant is because Pakistan has never had a sustained period under a proper elected democracy. Perhaps relations will improve.

And then again, perhaps relations will not improve. For Pakistan, at some level, the recovery of Kashmir, with the implicit consent of the Kashmiri people, is a basic tenet of their faith. However much we Indians look for an aperture of hope, it is extremely optimistic to hope for any change in this motherhood and apple pie belief. There is no guarantee either that even if India were to give Pakistan its fullest extent of dreamt desire, there would be peace. Already, with a peace in Kashmir far from being a stable or feasible target, there are other ducks being lined up. Water will be made, with or without justification, the next big issue. This will continue to clashes over fishing grounds; clashes over ownership of rich mineral-bearing earth; clashes in sympathy over imagined grievances in India of Indian citizens - the list goes on. But just because there is a list, posterity will not deal with us with any sympathy whatsoever if we do not at least try.

We have to hope that democracy sinks roots in Pakistan after all, and that somehow a democratic Pakistan will come to a viable peace with India.

What options do we have?

 

[American Eagle]

Ajtr and Joe Shearer both make very good well reasoned sense to me.

This long running since 1947 clash between Pakistan and India causes me to recite a poem I wrote my senior high school year in Nashville, Tennessee: "The affairs of men are like a giant wheel spinning in space. It travels at terrific speed but really goes no place."

But we have to still have HOPE and it is the ordinary people of the subcontinent who need to have a sense of hope. How best to achieve this is the purpose and responsibility of the governments involved. Over simplified I admit, but there it is.

 

[Mughal1]

Democracy is good but more needs to be done to make it work to at least to prevent failure.


LINK TO EXPLANATION

 

[Muhammad-Bin-Qasim]

Had enough of democracy... We now need "change we can believe in"

 

[divya]

Had enough of democracy... We now need "change we can believe in"

As in like Saudi monarchy
or
Communism in China?

 

[Meengla]

Those who opt for a military style dictatorship in Pakistan are intellectually lazy. Pure and simple. Pakistan has been directly ruled by military for about half its history and yet all of these absolute rulers were ousted in disgrace despite their absolute rule. Even during the time of the so-called civilian rules, after the death of ZAB, except for a few years of Nawaz Sharif's second rule, the civilians did not really enjoy power.

 

[Tayyab1796]

what if so called democrats themselves are hell bent on making 'democracy' into an abusive word . Look at the performance of democracy since the last three years , uttering democracy again and again isn't doing any good for the life of common folks who were better off under a dictator then these herds of democrats . Go out in the street and ask people about 'democracy'... u might change ur opinion after asking a few people.

 

[naveed qaiser]

Pakistan is passing through a critical phase of the present democratic institutional crisis that has put the future of democracy in the country in the doldrums. The dream of establishing ‘true’ democracy in the nation state would never be materialized in the presence of perpetual political instability, establishment’s intervention in national affairs, over stepping of Judiciary from its boundaries, lack of impartial accountability and biased media. There is a crying need of reforms in all these fields. Especially media and Judiciary at present putting entire system on stake. The heavy responsibility lies on the shoulder of media as it should play a constructive role to inculcate patriotism and create public awareness about democracy but media is working on 380 degree, rather than strengthening democracy, it is constantly subverting it. The game of democracy and dictatorship turn must end now as it might be a last chance for the democracy and we need to fortify it.

 

[Joe Shearer]

what if so called democrats themselves are hell bent on making 'democracy' into an abusive word . Look at the performance of democracy since the last three years , uttering democracy again and again isn't doing any good for the life of common folks who were better off under a dictator then these herds of democrats . Go out in the street and ask people about 'democracy'... u might change ur opinion after asking a few people.

It is reported that King Ptolemy once pleaded with Euclid for an easier way to learn geometry, and got short shrift. "There is no royal road to geometry," said the mathematician.

Unfortunately, there is no royal road to democracy either. You just have to do it. It is because democracy has been debased and scorned, and set aside again and again by great people who clearly thought themselves superior to the masses that it is difficult to do things in a democratic manner.

Democracy becomes better and better in direct proportion to the length of time that it is practised, not in proportion to the quality and the personal characteristics of the people playing key roles under it. Conversely, it becomes worse and worse as it is practised less and less; the fact that Pakistan has been forced to abandon it on several occasions has itself weakened the credibility and potency of democracy.

If you pause for a while and think about the matter, it will become clear: for all its faults, every time someone brings in a small improvement, it is likely to become a permanent improvement. It is only after people realise that they themselves can make a difference to things that they start insisting on their democratic rights. It is only after one or two governments have been dismissed, and succeeded peacefully by other democratic governments that both the electorate and the governments themselves begin to take themselves seriously.

Just try it.

 

[American Eagle]

However, it is true that they have failed in many respects and some of the central players of the political game are responsible for the worsening social and economic conditions of the country.

Blame is too easy a so called means to an end. What the whole world needs is a proactive approach to a free and competitive marketplace for ideas, the opportunity to earn a progressively better living during one's prime working years which is underscored and underwritten by good public education then the vocational, technical, or higher professional or academic education one chooses as a career path.

It is normal and inevitable that the core "haves" in the business world of any nation align variously with political factions which come and go. That is an integral part of democracy, which is based on free enterprise instead of a socialist governmental process.

In my singular view the worldwide economic depression we now are in grew from the US and other free world real estate mortgage crisis wherein we tried to put too many people into homes whose credit history, or better said lack of a good and responsible credit history, contributed to way too many bad mortgages, with a growing number of folks living way beyond their means and ultimately hitting the wall with no simple economic process way out.

Our Holy Bible talks about a 50 year cyclical process referred to as "a Jubilee" wherein everyone's debts are forgiven and all start all over again from scratch. This is idealistic and perhaps not totally or literally doable in todays world, but some form of at least a "modified Jubiless" would help national economies, great and small.

Free public (not religious) education for all boys and girls in nations like Pakistan and Afghanistan is a critical and essential element.

Against the offering of more and better free public education/schools is the splinter heretical version of which Islamic terrorists use to keep the masses in abject subjigation using the "smoke screen" of what they say is religion as their excuse and justification.

A sound religious faith rests of a positive HOPE for both a better life now and in the life eternal to come. Such a faith to me at least is God centered. I have found my Christianity gives me that HOPE and therefore am at peace with myself daily.

Free public education, a free enterprise economy which has an ethical baseline, and freedom of religion are to me the better way to go. Democracy enables these factors in my experience.

 

[NmHqh2JbVo]

Blame is too easy a so called means to an end. What the whole world needs is a proactive approach to a free and competitive marketplace for ideas, the opportunity to earn a progressively better living during one's prime working years which is underscored and underwritten by good public education then the vocational, technical, or higher professional or academic education one chooses as a career path.

It is normal and inevitable that the core "haves" in the business world of any nation align variously with political factions which come and go. That is an integral part of democracy, which is based on free enterprise instead of a socialist governmental process.

In my singular view the worldwide economic depression we now are in grew from the US and other free world real estate mortgage crisis wherein we tried to put too many people into homes whose credit history, or better said lack of a good and responsible credit history, contributed to way too many bad mortgages, with a growing number of folks living way beyond their means and ultimately hitting the wall with no simple economic process way out.

Our Holy Bible talks about a 50 year cyclical process referred to as "a Jubilee" wherein everyone's debts are forgiven and all start all over again from scratch. This is idealistic and perhaps not totally or literally doable in todays world, but some form of at least a "modified Jubiless" would help national economies, great and small.

Free public (not religious) education for all boys and girls in nations like Pakistan and Afghanistan is a critical and essential element.

Against the offering of more and better free public education/schools is the splinter heretical version of which Islamic terrorists use to keep the masses in abject subjigation using the "smoke screen" of what they say is religion as their excuse and justification.

A sound religious faith rests of a positive HOPE for both a better life now and in the life eternal to come. Such a faith to me at least is God centered. I have found my Christianity gives me that HOPE and therefore am at peace with myself daily.

Free public education, a free enterprise economy which has an ethical baseline, and freedom of religion are to me the better way to go. Democracy enables these factors in my experience.

Promoting democracy used to be the least resistant route to create access for capitals (least resistant route, that's highly philosophical). Everybody works for money, that includes politics and institutions of every color you can imagine. But on this topic, you can feel free to make a book out of it. Be my guest.

If you've ever heard of a Pope that would resign, and that's game changer for me, you let me know.

 

[American Eagle]

A common misunderstanding of Christianity by some Muslims is that we are all subordinate to the Pope and are Roman Catholics.

I am a Protestant, a member of the United Methodist Christian Denomination. I was raised as a Southern Baptist in Tennessee.

Many friends and family in laws are in fact practicing Roman Catholics, but we are not.

The early primitive Christian Church does trace it's orgins largely from and back to what would be historically identified as the Roman Catholic Church, as the first "bishop" was Peter in Rome.

I am willing to accept the Biblical title of Bishop of Rome as applied to the Pope historically. The immediate prior Pope in a book he wrote said if he could get more Christians to agree to and be part of the common brotherhood of Christianity he would be willing to scrap his title or the title of Pope and be only, merely the Bishop of Rome.

At a time in early Catholic Church history, during in particular what we loosely in the West refer to as the Dark Ages in Europe, Catholic priests "sold dispensations" similar to a mullah today selling a "fatwa."
Both concepts are of course invalid and phoney, but there you are. It was and is in Islam today a way for a cleric to make part of his living.

You might want to look for a religions of the world course in your local college or university to academically look at what is in common and what the differences are among and between the various faith systems of the world. Just a suggestion.

Have a good weekend.