Democracy Lost

Having experienced parliamentary democracy first-hand during almost a decade’s stay in the United Kingdom, I really marvel at the simplicity of majority of Pakistanis who seriously believe our system of governance to be a democracy. How can our system be termed a democracy in circumstances where the major parties like PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party do not have an iota of democracy within their structure, with elevation to senior positions being determined by accidents of birth and death or even dubious wills? Moreover, the nomination of members for parliamentary seats is made on the basis of fees the prospective candidates pay for loyalty to party 'owners', with merit featuring nowhere in the whole process.

And then, with rare exceptions, the successful candidates spend their terms working for their own and their masters’ enrichment, through corruption, including hefty amounts dished out by the government as development funds, the bulk of which gets siphoned off.

As for PTI, it is a late entry into politics, with the party forming the government at the federal level for the first time in 2018, after supposedly a 22-year struggle, with not much to show. It formed the government with a razor-thin majority secured through help from coalition partners, together with active ‘support’ from the traditional power brokers. One would have thought that with his boast of long struggle, Imran Khan would have formed, if not a shadow cabinet, then at least a competent team ready for top functions but alas, the situation proved to be the exact opposite. Consequently, the government has been run on trial and error basis, with the promised changes coming not in betterment of the people but in the frequent reshuffling of portfolios. The only exception is Usman Buzdar, who is there to stay, come what may, and despite complaints even by PTI members. Perhaps Imran Khan believes that after extreme dissatisfaction with PML-N and PPP, people have no choice but to tolerate him.

Surely, after suffering astronomic corruption and bad governance by Sharifs and Zardaris, the PTI government was welcomed by the masses, who seriously believed its slogans of accountability and recovery of looted wealth. However, when it comes to bad governance and corruption, the PTI has proved no better either, with masses hit really hard with galloping inflation. The image of the party is sullied further with the arrogance of Imran Khan who, despite lacking depth, considers himself fully qualified to give his unsolicited opinions on just about every topic, talking loosely and recklessly and leaving his aides to try unsuccessfully to explain his statements.

Also, with so much happening within and around the region, and right next door in Afghanistan, we need a visionary leader who has the capacity to play an important role on the international level as well. Unfortunately, Imran Khan seems to consider his job well-done with the opening of new shelter homes for the destitute, and eating with the inmates and, of course, planting more trees.

Unluckily for us, our founding leaders departed, or were made/forced to depart early. And then the corrupt, inept and over-ambitious leaders barged in. Their performance can be judged by comparing our plight with that of China which attained independence two years later.

Moreover, our Constitution demands three tiers of government, namely the federal , the provincial and local government. Unfortunately none of the ruling parties, PTI included, seems to be interested in local government. In Sindh , even the powers and financial authority granted by a military government have been clawed back, with the situation in Punjab being no different, despite court orders.
It might sound strange, but it is a fact that among significant parties, the only one having a democratic structure happens to be Jamaat-e-Islami. Unfortunately, because of its rather limited appeal to the masses, and its unwillingness to indulge in the usual corrupt practices, it constantly fails to acquire enough votes to make it eligible to form a government.

PML-N and PPP have been tried for decades with disastrous results, and the PTI experience is proving no different. Also, lacking a sense of responsibility and having failed to develop as a nation, the masses remain divided on ethnic grounds and are thus unable to exercise their right of vote responsibly. Another limiting factor is the absence of competent persons of integrity among assembly aspirants to choose from. There is also regular trade in votes as well as massive misuse of authority. Because of these limitations, the present system is unable to deliver and needs a drastic change. Remember, Albert Einstein described insanity as the act of doing the same thing again and again and expecting different result.

If we are to survive, it is time for the powerful institutions in the country to ‘persuade’ the leaders to hold transparent general elections soonest possible, with known criminals disqualified and kept out. And then, to ensure formation of a coalition government, picking reasonably honest and competent people from all parties and gradually moving towards the Chinese system of governance. This will ensure their respect in peoples’ hearts. The masses have already suffered immensely because of the politicians’ indiscretions at one time or another and they deserve a break.