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analysis: Honouring the people Rasul Bakhsh Rais
The people of Pakistan and democratic forces from all across the country have proved that democracy is the only way out of our problems of governance, politics and society, including militancy and terrorism
For a very long time, a small section of our society with vested interest in supporting military dictators has written and spoken against democracy.
In defending their masters, they never had a rational argument, just the platitudes; many of them centring on the inability of our ordinary, poor, hungry and illiterate masses to make rational choices among the candidates contesting elections. We have often seen such arguments being made by people sitting on plush sofas in cosy drawing rooms, pretending to be intellectuals and showing deep concern about the future of the country.
Questioning the wisdom of ordinary folks in matters of governance, or for that matter refusing them a role in public affairs, has an irrational, illiberal and feudalistic streak. It is shocking how large bands of sycophants, intriguers and flatterers have brazenly supported and defended decadent political orders established by individuals that decorate themselves with pompous titles. They take on the role of public intellectuals, sustained mostly by state-controlled media and public institutions.
In Pakistan, like elsewhere, anti-democratic intellectuals and factional leaders have made another fuzzy argument that the people of Pakistan and our society are not really ready for democracy. Such arguments against allowing people a role in government, which cite nature, culture, religion and values, dont deserve much respect.
There is reason to doubt whether the proponents of this argument are being sincere about their concern for the Pakistani people or are in it for lucrative positions and artificial public significance; the country and the people are secondary to personal and political objectives.
The rebuttal is plain and simple: how can there be a legitimate and stable political system in any country without constitutionalism and exercise of the peoples right to elect a government?
As is evident from the general elections held last week, Pakistan has better democratic endowment in terms of institutions, parties, ideas and democratic practices than many other Muslim countries. Therefore, the so-called debate on the failure of democracy in Pakistan is not about the failure of democracy but about the ambitions of undemocratic forces to make space for themselves by rigging the constitution in their favour.
These undemocratic forces would lose their power if they allowed a system based on popular sovereignty to function in Pakistan. In a sense, the dictatorship camp knew the power of democratic politics, but arrogantly denied it to the people as the pro-dictatorship camp thought it could manipulate, and even destroy, institutions to preserve and perpetuate their power instead of allowing true democracy to flourish.
For at least three decades, the dictatorship camp has made another argument that true democracy is yet to be constructed, and that the camp had the best brains around to do this job. In our political history, people have more than once proved this undertaking wrong. Even the ordinary folks, the people the dictatorship camp talks so disparagingly about, know that political systems grow out of experience and on the basis of shared understanding.
This is the third time that the people of Pakistan have completely rejected the political ideas, institutions and parties imposed from above by dictators. They have reconfirmed forcefully and unequivocally a universal truth: legitimate, self-evolving and self-correcting political systems grow out of political practice through public participation.
Just like the people refused to live by the received wisdom of Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq, they have, with greater force, smashed the Musharraf-centred system on the rough rocks of history.
The voice of the people, when they have the right to speak through voting or other means, is the real voice of a society, a country and a nation. Dictators all over the world and throughout history have used all means to justify their rule, as if they have a divine right to rule over unwilling people through fear, intimidation and oppression. At the end, however, all of them have had to quit in disgrace.
There is always a choice: one can be with the people, listen to what the say and act accordingly; or deny them any respect and dignity by imposing oneself on them.These choices are on two opposite ends on the political spectrum. We have lived between these two poles, most of the time close to the dictators, following their determined agenda and the political path they deemed suitable for us.
The election of February 18 turned out to be one of the greatest milestones in the political history of Pakistan. In a single day, which highlighted the consistent struggle and unending sacrifices for democratic rights, the course of the countrys history has changed. We have no doubts that we are getting our country back, along with our right to determine our destiny.
Knowing that little good has happened to us during the past eight years and that too at the expense of our core institutions and values, it must be said that we should have the right to make our own mistakes, instead of having others make them for us.
Although the peoples of Pakistan have spoken clearly in support of democracy and representative government, fears about political manipulation and denying the major parties a free hand in redefining the country and society linger on. The losers who always create difficulties run a great risk of causing greater damage to society. These fears are rooted in experience: the constitution, the judiciary and, before them, an elected government were thrown out the save the job of one individual, the then-Chief of Army Staff and his presidential incarnation.
The people of Pakistan and democratic forces from all across the country have proved that democracy is the only way out of our problems of governance, politics and society, including militancy and terrorism. The dictatorship and its supporter have caused severe damage to the federation, national harmony, social peace and to the economy. These issues can be addressed only by honouring the people of Pakistan by respecting their mandate which is for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution, provincial autonomy, reinstatement of judiciary and rule of law.
The author is a professor of Political Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He can be reached at rasul@lums.edu.pk
The people of Pakistan and democratic forces from all across the country have proved that democracy is the only way out of our problems of governance, politics and society, including militancy and terrorism
For a very long time, a small section of our society with vested interest in supporting military dictators has written and spoken against democracy.
In defending their masters, they never had a rational argument, just the platitudes; many of them centring on the inability of our ordinary, poor, hungry and illiterate masses to make rational choices among the candidates contesting elections. We have often seen such arguments being made by people sitting on plush sofas in cosy drawing rooms, pretending to be intellectuals and showing deep concern about the future of the country.
Questioning the wisdom of ordinary folks in matters of governance, or for that matter refusing them a role in public affairs, has an irrational, illiberal and feudalistic streak. It is shocking how large bands of sycophants, intriguers and flatterers have brazenly supported and defended decadent political orders established by individuals that decorate themselves with pompous titles. They take on the role of public intellectuals, sustained mostly by state-controlled media and public institutions.
In Pakistan, like elsewhere, anti-democratic intellectuals and factional leaders have made another fuzzy argument that the people of Pakistan and our society are not really ready for democracy. Such arguments against allowing people a role in government, which cite nature, culture, religion and values, dont deserve much respect.
There is reason to doubt whether the proponents of this argument are being sincere about their concern for the Pakistani people or are in it for lucrative positions and artificial public significance; the country and the people are secondary to personal and political objectives.
The rebuttal is plain and simple: how can there be a legitimate and stable political system in any country without constitutionalism and exercise of the peoples right to elect a government?
As is evident from the general elections held last week, Pakistan has better democratic endowment in terms of institutions, parties, ideas and democratic practices than many other Muslim countries. Therefore, the so-called debate on the failure of democracy in Pakistan is not about the failure of democracy but about the ambitions of undemocratic forces to make space for themselves by rigging the constitution in their favour.
These undemocratic forces would lose their power if they allowed a system based on popular sovereignty to function in Pakistan. In a sense, the dictatorship camp knew the power of democratic politics, but arrogantly denied it to the people as the pro-dictatorship camp thought it could manipulate, and even destroy, institutions to preserve and perpetuate their power instead of allowing true democracy to flourish.
For at least three decades, the dictatorship camp has made another argument that true democracy is yet to be constructed, and that the camp had the best brains around to do this job. In our political history, people have more than once proved this undertaking wrong. Even the ordinary folks, the people the dictatorship camp talks so disparagingly about, know that political systems grow out of experience and on the basis of shared understanding.
This is the third time that the people of Pakistan have completely rejected the political ideas, institutions and parties imposed from above by dictators. They have reconfirmed forcefully and unequivocally a universal truth: legitimate, self-evolving and self-correcting political systems grow out of political practice through public participation.
Just like the people refused to live by the received wisdom of Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq, they have, with greater force, smashed the Musharraf-centred system on the rough rocks of history.
The voice of the people, when they have the right to speak through voting or other means, is the real voice of a society, a country and a nation. Dictators all over the world and throughout history have used all means to justify their rule, as if they have a divine right to rule over unwilling people through fear, intimidation and oppression. At the end, however, all of them have had to quit in disgrace.
There is always a choice: one can be with the people, listen to what the say and act accordingly; or deny them any respect and dignity by imposing oneself on them.These choices are on two opposite ends on the political spectrum. We have lived between these two poles, most of the time close to the dictators, following their determined agenda and the political path they deemed suitable for us.
The election of February 18 turned out to be one of the greatest milestones in the political history of Pakistan. In a single day, which highlighted the consistent struggle and unending sacrifices for democratic rights, the course of the countrys history has changed. We have no doubts that we are getting our country back, along with our right to determine our destiny.
Knowing that little good has happened to us during the past eight years and that too at the expense of our core institutions and values, it must be said that we should have the right to make our own mistakes, instead of having others make them for us.
Although the peoples of Pakistan have spoken clearly in support of democracy and representative government, fears about political manipulation and denying the major parties a free hand in redefining the country and society linger on. The losers who always create difficulties run a great risk of causing greater damage to society. These fears are rooted in experience: the constitution, the judiciary and, before them, an elected government were thrown out the save the job of one individual, the then-Chief of Army Staff and his presidential incarnation.
The people of Pakistan and democratic forces from all across the country have proved that democracy is the only way out of our problems of governance, politics and society, including militancy and terrorism. The dictatorship and its supporter have caused severe damage to the federation, national harmony, social peace and to the economy. These issues can be addressed only by honouring the people of Pakistan by respecting their mandate which is for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution, provincial autonomy, reinstatement of judiciary and rule of law.
The author is a professor of Political Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He can be reached at rasul@lums.edu.pk
