Seminar: ‘Good governance imperative for democracy’

Government urged to introduce land reforms and industrial policies.

HARIPUR:

Democracy will continue to remain in doldrums until the problem of governance is addressed. This was the consensus among speakers at a seminar held by Sahara Foundation on Friday.

The speakers agreed that democracy in Pakistan is in its infancy despite the lapse of six decades is “extremely disappointing”.

The seminar, “Democracy, Problems and its Future”, was attended by people from all walks of life. South Asia Partnership Pakistan Deputy Director Irfan Mufti, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research Joint Director Zulfiqar Shah, former district nazim Yousaf Ayub  and Sahara Foundation members Qamar Hayat and Muhammad Rafique spoke at the event.

The speakers claimed that the country has turned into a “security state”, where life, property and honour of citizens was at constant risk.

“Unprecedented price hike has made a common man’s life miserable. People are struggling to make ends meet,” they said.

They asserted that the country is going through the worst economic crisis in its history. The situation, they said, has changed the dynamics of politics, as the nation is driven by a sense of alienation and the people are unable to raise their voices.

The speakers said that the political parties were not representing the common man. Instead, they had introduced a “political dynasty” within the parties, which is a clear violation of ethics of politics.

They noted with concern the delay in local government’s election, adding that the government has made the democratic system redundant, as organisations such as trade unions and student associations are unable to play their role in strengthening the democratic order.

The speakers observed that the fast changing politico-economic trends in the world required political stability for the country’s development, adding that the political parties must shun their traditional politics.

They stressed on the government to accept the supremacy of constitution to strengthen governance in the country.

They opined that the government should introduce land reforms to bring an end to feudalism. They demanded coherent and pro-people agriculture and industrial policies for economic stability in the country.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2011.