It is unfortunate that the PML(N) government in Punjab decided to hold local government elections on a non-party basis after deferring the election on one pretext or the other till the Supreme Court had to intervene and tell the provincial government that they were violating the constitution by doing so. It seems like our present lot of politicians do not want to share power at the grass root level although they never get tired of preaching the virtues of democracy and empowerment of the people.
The Chief Minister of Punjab has been running the largest province of the country with 62% population single-handedly with the civil bureaucracy at his beck and call without giving ordinary people a chance to share power with the rulers. It seems like our politicians consider themselves superior to all and that it is only they that have the real wisdom to be the real rulers. This is a major reason why democracy and new politicians in Pakistan have not been able to make a significant mark.
Holding party-based elections will contribute to nourishing ideology-based politics and affect future political leadership. The majority of current politicians have no knowledge and experience of people’s problems because they never started their politics from the grass root level. This is one reason why instead of making laws that benefit the people, they are doing the work that should be the job of a local body representative: making roads, schools, healthy units, gas supply projects etc.
It is imperative to strengthen democracy in the local body representatives with administrative power whereas financial power should be established at the district and union council level so that the councils can look after the civic development projects of the area. If there were empowered local governments in place, law and order situation would not have deteriorated as much as they have and much more development works would take place.
Without people’s participation, no country can make real progress. Currently, the PML(N) is afraid of PTI’s popularity in Punjab and to avoid an embarrassing defeat in the local bodies election, it is adopting the non-party basis polls when it is a known fact that the 1985 non-party elections of National Assembly not only introduced horse trading in the polity but had a long term impact by training politicians to have no remorse for switching loyalties in their pursuit for power.
I believe that ideology-based politics is largely non-existent. Our politicians are primarily interested in seeking political power to rule the country instead of serving the country and people’s interests. The people of Pakistan are yearning for a change due to the failure of political parties to solve the issues faced by the country and the problems faced by the people. It is unfortunate that the lives of common Pakistanis are becoming increasingly miserable as people are committing suicides and selling their children due to hunger and poverty.
S T HUSSAIN
Lahore
