Democratic idealism and tokenism

Throughout history, humankind has sought to manage collective affairs and resources in the most effective ways. These efforts evolved into various socio-political arrangements or systems that, while promising efficacy in their time, were challenged by succeeding political models. From Bigman to ballot, the quest for legitimate, inclusive, representative, responsive, accountable and efficient governance has evolved — not always by design or desire — into various sociopolitical systems that have come to dominate societies and cultures for ages.

For instance, the Bigman of the bands — the earliest socio-political authority known to history — has, due to relative experience in defending and sustaining the group, earned the assent of and worked for the well-being of all members.

However, as societies became more complex, stratified and centralised, legitimacy increasingly came to rely on force, deception, coercion, or a combination of all, each in varying degrees. That is, unlike bands — where legitimacy, however nascent, was rooted in popular assent — brute force, violent excursions, hard power, inheritance, or control over crucial resources increasingly came to substitute for it. Questionable and unaccountable legitimacy has often driven many administrations — throughout history and even today — to redirect governance policies and practices, as well as state resources, toward sustaining regimes, essentially at the ultimate detriment of the people.

For instance, authoritarianism and dictatorship often prioritise the pursuit of vested interests at the cost of fundamental rights, equality and participation. The absence of checks on power frequently results in corruption, oppression and human rights abuses, underscoring substantial deficits in the prospect of justice and potential inclusive prosperity. Similarly, monarchies that rely on hereditary rule often lack meritocracy and inclusivity, thereby confining decision-making to a select few and ultimately defeating public aspirations for effective governance and representation.

Oligarchies, where power is concentrated in the hands of a small elite, typically prioritise the interests of the ruling group over those of the broader population. This undermines legitimacy, fairness and equitable distribution of resources, often leading to social and economic disparities as well as political marginalisation. Theocracies, governed by religious doctrine, may achieve momentary societal cohesion but frequently suppress dissent, diversity of thought and individual freedoms. Such rigidity limits their adaptability to changing circumstances and diminishes their appeal to those who value pluralism and universal human rights.

Although these systems may offer certain efficiencies or unifying principles, they often fall short in delivering justice, promoting inclusive development and addressing the diverse needs of their populations.

Of all known and experienced political modalities, democracy encompasses many essential elements that, when genuinely implemented, yield the most widely sought-after outcomes for society. By emphasising individual rights, equality, rule of law and citizen participation, democracy fosters a framework responsive to human needs, qualities less consistently found in other systems. However, the answers to whether democracy has ever existed, or exists today, in its truest form are, unfortunately, rarely optimistic. It is, in fact, the cultivated authoritarianism under the guise of democracy that is driving its decline. Pakistan's stratocratic and oppressive regimes have evolved and been nurtured for decades under a democratic façade.

The ongoing decline of democracy worldwide is marked not by its explicit rejection but rather by its recoloring and mutation, allowing totalitarian individuals, extractive institutions, illegitimate regimes and oppressive, exclusionary policies to grow, take root and thrive unchallenged. If this trend is not reversed globally, a democratic façade may be all that remains, surrounded by pervasive oppression, as we see in our society today.