The beauty and strength of democracy

With present state of rancour leadership has hardly any time to seriously address these national and global challenges

Last week, after the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the first round of the UK leadership contest, the front runner was Rishi Sunak. Irrespective of whether or not he would be able to maintain the lead against the other five candidates until the final election takes place, this is an extraordinary phenomenon that would have been difficult to contemplate a few years ago. Interestingly, Chancellor Sunak is the richest man in the House of Commons, which apparently is attributed to his past career as a banker and his marriage to the daughter of India’s most successful businessman. He enjoys the reputation of being scrupulously honest.

It is a demonstration of how people of former colonies who migrated to Britain are coming into prominence and asserting themselves. Besides, it is a reflection of the strength and fairness of the British democratic system, that it rises above national, colour and religious prejudices to elect its leaders. This clearly is the beauty and strength of democracy that only few countries in the world take pride in, and there are lessons for others. Of course, the election of former President Obama twice in the US was also a testimony of the fairness of the American people in rising above narrow colour and parochial considerations.

This, however, does not imply that these countries do not have serious weaknesses that could change the situation — we witnessed the rise of Donald Trump as President and how he later governed to stay in power despite having lost the subsequent election. Similarly, although less serious, efforts by Boris Johnson to stay on as Prime Minister were against democratic and ethical norms.

Moreover, it would be wrong to assume that colour and religious prejudice does not exist in Britain, US or France and other mature democracies of Europe, Japan and South Korea. But, relatively, looking at the global scene, there is far greater level of fairness in these old democracies than in other countries with different systems of governance and traditions. For example, it would be difficult to visualise that minority ethnic groups could aspire to become key members of Central Bureau of the Communist Party in China or hold high positions in the Russian politburo. Or in Pakistan, a Hindu, Christian or Parsi would make it to the top.

In countries where people do not differentiate on the basis colour, religion and family status, democracy can be strengthened and placed at a high pedestal for the common good. In relatively new democracies such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, the situation is changing fast and there is greater awareness among the people. Merit, integrity and service to the community are taking precedence over hereditary and clan-based politics. And now elections for high positions are less influenced by heritage.

The situation is changing fast as we witness the BJP in India, with Modi as Prime Minister, pushing the Congress into a weak opposition. In Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, who had dominated politics, was forced to resign after mass protests and rallies were held over the country’s economic collapse. In Pakistan, PTI, under Imran Khan’s leadership, remains a daunting challenger in the opposition as the results of the recent provincial elections indicate. It is evident that political awareness in our electorate is high as a consequence of the proliferation of media, the impact of social media, and the frequent mass rallies and political speeches.

Over the years, as democracy is gradually taking root, there is pressure on political parties to become more democratic internally and rise above clan and tribal politics to meet the expectations of the people. The role of the army is being questioned and, as was noticeable, the army leadership had to re-iterate that it is neutral or non-partisan or moving in that direction. Although it would take time for Pakistan’s politics to rid itself of its props, both internal and external, the sooner the process starts in earnest the better for our future. Political parties should refrain from seeking support of state institutions to gain or retain power, be it the army or bureaucracy. It is unfortunate that the Parliament’s role is being undermined. This has a direct bearing on the decisions taken by the government and the quality of national discourse.

To expect that Pakistan’s economy would improve in a highly politically combative environment with all the internal and external drags would be unrealistic. A factor usually ignored is that an improvement in human rights has a direct or indirect bearing on the overall performance and image of the country. And Pakistan is on the bottom of the ladder in this critical category. A recent survey on the treatment of women placed Pakistan just above Afghanistan. So, a comprehensive strategy to overcome these deficiencies is necessary with a sense of realism and cooperation at various levels. But instead of working toward these organisational, functional and societal weaknesses, we are aggravating them through political infighting and lopsided priorities.

The recent provincial election results in Punjab will obviously compel PML-N to dissolve the National Assembly and seek re-elections. Until then, political uncertainty and instability will continue. Financial markets, as expected, reacted to these shortcomings and the value of the Pakistani Rupee fell sharply against the dollar. Financial professionals apparently believe that the worse is still to come before Pakistan’s economy starts moving in the right direction.

With the present state of rancour, the leadership has hardly any time to seriously address these national and global challenges. No doubt, Imran Khan has the ability to build public pressure to bring the PML-N-led coalition down, but his real test and that of other leaders would be in their ability to turn Pakistan around toward a stable and prosperous future.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2022.

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