What kind of government do we need? (II)

LOS ANGELES: Tazeen Javed aptly concludes in her article of July 16 that we need an effective government which delivers the essentials of life to citizens based on equality and justice. People must have the right to reject and replace a government which cannot deliver. Democracy may not be a perfect system but it is the best one available to form viable social contracts between the rulers and the ruled. I do not see any clash between Islam’s broad principles of social justice and effectiveness of democracy. True, sovereignty on earth belongs to Allah but He has to have a viceroy to attend to the everyday affairs. Ms Javed rightly points out that the record of Muslim rulers at providing good governance is, at best, inconsistent. It’s time for us to separate state affairs from our religious beliefs, in line with Quaid-i-Azam’s vision for our country.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2010.