Problem with learning lessons
Coup anniversaries naturally raise poignant memories. For the duration of the so-called decade of democracy – the ‘90s – everybody talked about the damage of Zia’s long years, even as parliament itself was chronically non-functioning, political vendetta was the order of the day, and government after government bit the dust before completing its tenure, something which has now become clichéd. Since Musharraf’s back, similarly, politicians have been busy celebrating the many successes of democracy, in addition to the many failures of dictatorship. With the first, and now almost second, peaceful democratic transfer of power, etc, there is indeed much to celebrate.
Yet there is also much to reflect on. Long years of military rule, it seems, failed to instill a proper appreciation, not to mention understanding, of the working of parliament among our leaders. Throughout this present electoral cycle, for example, there has been insufficient presence in parliament. What is more, in Nawaz Sharif’s time the PM’s rare presence in parliament made instant ‘breaking news’. That hardly any legislation is tabled – the basic functioning premise of the House – does not bother our ‘defenders’ of democracy. They flock to the national assembly only when the government’s own survival is in question; like the dharna days. And they take senate far more seriously for one person than they do for the whole nation, as everybody saw in the case of the amendment to Electoral Reforms Bill 2017.
Then there’s the little respect for institutions that our political elite shows. Ever since Nawaz’s ouster, PML-N has been unleashing blatant fontal attacks on the judiciary and disguised though obvious jabs at the military. Friday’s hooliganism at the NAB court brought back chilling memories of the ’97 attack on the Supreme Court. The ruling party, therefore, will go to any extent to protect their man, even if it means mudslinging between institutions at the cost of the people and the country. In denouncing dictators, clearly our democrats fail to see that they have not exactly acted as friends of the people either. True, there should be no argument in favour of dictatorship. But there’s still some way to go before our politicians can claim being much better. It is ironic that this October finds the same man who was booted out in the October ’99 coup openly attacking institutions just because he could not make his own case in court.
