And the downtrodden
Quite typically, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani has noticed a clear disconnect between the democratic machinery and the common man, especially the downtrodden segment of society. He was afraid – while launching the new Senate website – that the man on the street might not come out to protect democracy should push come to shove. It is, of course, only natural for our politicians to keep wondering about potential hits to the much loved democratic process, given how so much pressure from so many sources converges on it at any given point in time.
Finally, though, there is a realisation, even if it has come from the opposition. The common man really does not have much faith left in the ‘process’ or those who make such a fuss about ‘protecting’ it. And the reason, more than successive dictatorships that periodically derailed the process, is the system’s own inability to deliver, or connect with the people, whenever it was in place. Our politicians, like so many of Rabbani’s colleagues in government and opposition, preferred politics of power and patronage instead of a transparent representation of public mandate. And since that is where the bulk of their energies went, it is little surprise, in hindsight, that the system that was erected has precious little to do with the ‘common man’, to so-called life and blood of representative democracy.
Good of Raza Rabbani, therefore, to point out some of the politicians’ own failings. Yet he surely realises that putting senators’ salaries, perks and attendance online will do little to soothe public sentiment. And, above all, it will not automatically correct the Upper House’s reputation as only a ceremonial body in the present setup; which nobody pays much attention to. The chairman is reminded that the only way to win over public support is to be seen working in its favour. Only that will reassert the majesty of parliament in its true sense.