If the country is to progress rapidly, the legislature, executive and judiciary need to resonate with the same ideals of democratic principles.
This was stated by the Deputy Senate Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla on Wednesday while addressing a seminar on “International Democracy Day”. The seminar had been organised by the Bhutto Foundation at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) in Islamabad.
“I remain inspired by the profound statement made by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who said, ‘democracy is the greatest revenge’,” Mandviwalla remarked. He called for benefiting from global best practices and ideals of democracy to further strengthen the foundation of democracy in the country.
He further said that a vibrant media, free and fair elections, education and freedom of speech are some of the basic ingredients which make democracy and democratic culture flourish.
The deputy Senate chairman observed that undemocratic interventions of the past have either halted or slowed the democratic process at various stages. However, he suggested that this has only prompted followers of democratic principles to work even harder to achieve the ideals of representation in our system.
Mandviwalla suggested that democracy is a “way of life” which encourages tailormade setups across different societies to make it work.
Sadly, many powers today continue to influence the right of nations exploring their rendition of democratic principles, he said, adding that that time plays the biggest role in determining the evolutionary path of democracy.
He called for joining hands together despite political and ideological differences while keeping national progress as the priority.
“For us, Pakistan is a prime example of how democracy continues to evolve seven decades on. It is the very basis on which Pakistan came into being in 1947, and today, Pakistan is considered as one of the largest democracies in the Muslim world,” the deputy chairman observed.
In a separate seminar at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, Mandviwala said democracy is the panacea to our social and economic ills.
He called for promoting a culture of tolerance and dialogue to achieve development goals with peace, development and democracy inter-connected. Intolerance will further deteriorate democratic values.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2020.
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