What good is a democracy that serves the ruling class only and further subjugates the down trodden?
This is rubbish. Period.
A government deluding itself that it is democratic just because it won an election to come to power. An opposition deluding itself that by importing a march dressed as revolution from abroad, democracy is on its way to make a nest in Pakistan.
Democracy may be a lot of things. What it is not is a group of jokers appointing family members and bosom cronies to choice positions. Appointment of Dr Arsalan Iftikhar as vice chairman Balochistan Investment Board is a case in point. According to local newspapers, chief minister of Balochistan was quoted as saying, “The appointment was made in recognition of the services of Arsalan’s father, former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.” (Published July 6, 2014) For crying out loud, give me a break. This is the height of insulting the Pakistani voters. Rewarding Iftikhar Chaudhry for what exact deed, if I may ask? He was the chief justice and worked as a public servant. He was paid for thus working. So where does ‘rewarding’ him for his ‘services’ come in? What services? The Pakistani voters deserve an answer to the loaded question.
General misgovernance rules the day. Besides failing to deal with the crisis of power outages on a short term and foreseeable long term basis, spiralling inflation, increased taxation (income tax at source raised to seven per cent) and shamelessly imposing taxation on Bahbood Certificates by the National Saving Centre to name a few. According to the official site offering information on Bahbood Savings Certificates, “Keeping in view the hardships faced by the widows and senior citizens, this ten years’ maturity scheme was launched by the government on 1st July, 2003. Initially the scheme was meant for widows only; however, the government later decided to extend the facility for senior citizens aged 60 years and above with effect from 1st January, 2004.” All investors of this scheme are old people who depend on the earnings to live upon, mostly with no other source of income. Is this fair? One such investor Mrs Shamsa Ali, a widow who lives on this income and is finding it increasingly difficult to manage her budget, is furious at the imposition of tax on Bahbood Certificates. “Why does the government not just shoot us and be done with it? The agony of killing us daily like this will at least be over.”
What good is a democracy that serves the ruling class only and further subjugates the down trodden?
Grow up! Get real! Get a brain!
In every definition of democracy there are two principles that inevitably will form a part of it: equality and freedom. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimised rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution. In an earlier article published July 11, 2010, I had written, “Unless and until we appreciate that elections are means to an end, and, not an end in itself, unless and until we appreciate that those who come in power are there to serve and not to be served, and, unless and until we appreciate that no system can deliver till it consists of people with a will to serve its people, Pakistan shall continue to flounder.” Although there is no one definition of democracy internationally accepted by all, I share here two leading ones for our pea brained leaders.
1. A definition of the ideal: “Government by the people, where liberty, equality and fraternity are secured to the greatest possible degree and in which human capacities are developed to the utmost, by means including free and full discussion of common problems and interests.” (Pennock, 1979, 7)
2. “We begin by defining formal, participatory and social democracy. By formal democracy we mean a political system that combines four features: regular free and fair elections, universal suffrage, accountability of the state’s administrative organs to the elected representatives, and effective guarantees for freedom of expression. Formal democratic countries will differ considerably in social policies that reduce social and economic inequality. We therefore introduce two additional dimensions: high levels of participation without systematic differences across social categories (for example, class, ethnicity, gender) and increasing equality in social and economic outcomes. (Huber, Rueschemeyer & Stephens 1997, 323-324)
Why does the government not just shoot us and be done with it? The agony of killing us daily like this will at least be over.
Then we have the international crusaders jumping off foreign shores with dual nationality urging revolution via a march in a bullet proof van. Of course the exit from the country by adoption is faster. Where was Abdul Shakoor Qadri, otherwise known as Tahirul Qadri, when the earthquakes and floods hit Pakistan? Why did he decide to hit Pakistan just before elections and just before Zarb-e-Azb?
I have a question for Canadian Citizen Abdul Shakoor Qadri alias Tahirul Qadri: how can he reconcile Article 5 of Constitution of Pakistan with oath undertaken by him for acquiring his Canadian Citizenship still clutched to his bosom? Before his defenders jump to defend him, do read both reproduced below:
Article 5 of the Constitution of Pakistan makes it impossible for a person holding a Pakistani nationality to owe allegiance to another country. It clearly states:
“5. Loyalty to State and obedience to Constitution and law.
(1) Loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen.
(2) Obedience to the Constitution and law is the [inviolable] obligation of every citizen wherever he may be and of every other person for the time being within Pakistan.”
When a citizen of Pakistan acquires the citizenship of another country, being a citizen of Pakistan, he needs to take an ‘Oath of Allegiance’. This will inevitably result in a conflict of interest with Article 5 above.
For the citizenship of Canada, the words of Oath of Allegiance are:
“I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.”
Bill C-63, the proposed Citizenship of Canada Act, was put before parliament in 1999; in it was a variant on the present Oath of Citizenship:
“From this day forward, I pledge my loyalty and allegiance to Canada and Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada. I promise to respect our country’s rights and freedoms, to defend our democratic values, to faithfully observe our laws and fulfill my duties and obligations as a Canadian citizen.”
Hello, Canadian Citizen Abdul Shakoor Qadri alias Tahirul Qadri, are your reading? The question posed in case of a conflict of interest are mere repetition here.
As for the rest of the losers clamouring for a piece of cake and beelining Canadian Citizen Abdul Shakoor Qadri alias Tahirul Qadri’s door, it’s all a game of self-interest. Cheap kicks!
If what our present leaders sitting in assemblies doing is not democracy, neither is what Abdul Shakoor Qadri is doing democracy.
So how do we improve the lot of our leaders? NOTA (none of the above), in my opinion, is the answer. NOTA is in line with the democratic norms, giving the right to the common man to determine whether or not he should vote for any of the options on the ballot paper or reject all options available, leading to by-elections with fresh candidates put up by parties and eviction from contest of independent candidates so rejected. The ECP did announce including NOTA in the 2013 elections only to retract the decision before elections.
In my article on NOTA, published January 2014, I had written, “Based on a multi-party system, political parties in Pakistan are in most cases reliant on individuals who become the face of the party. The face becomes dynastic rule. Robert McFarlane, advisor to Reagan, described Pakistan’s democracy as “a feudal cabal”. (Page 304, Magnificent Delusions: Husain Haqqani) This phenomenon can be said to be common in India as well.”
For how long will Pakistan continue to flounder in ‘feudal cabal-ism?’ For how long will our ‘leaders’ continue to play (fake) democracy, democracy?