Editorial

No to early elections

The concept of early elections is not, in and of itself, undemocratic, but its effect now, would weaken democracy.

Editorial December 02, 2011

Almost since the day the PPP government took power, predictions of its imminent demise have been bandied about with barely-concealed glee. From the tussle over the restoration of the judiciary to the electricity price hike, any crisis, major or minor, has supposedly spelled the end of the PPP-led coalition. It is tempting, then, to write off the latest rumours of snap elections as the wistful longings of the opposition. Except this time, even the government seems to fear for its survival. The memogate scandal, which has already ensnared the former ambassador to the US, has led to questions not only about the competence of the government but also its loyalties. If ever the likes of the PML-N and the PTI were to take advantage of the government’s weakness to score victory at the polls, now would be the time. The opposition parties may have it in their power to force early elections but they would be extremely unwise to exercise that option. The government has barely a year left to complete its term, a feat that has usually proved beyond the reach of a democratically-elected government.

For our fledgling democracy to take root, it is essential that governments be allowed to serve out their tenure, especially when there is no compelling reason to force them from power. No matter how high-minded the rhetoric of the PML-N, their calls for early elections are spurred only by one motivation: if the Senate elections scheduled for March go ahead, the PPP will have a majority in the Senate. Obviously this does not work to the PML-N’s benefit, but for once, they should put the health of democracy above their short-term electoral interests. Removing the PPP from power would only the strengthen the hand of the military which, thanks to memogate, has regained the upper hand over the civilian set-up after the Abbottabad raid. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s recent rhetoric would suggest that he does not want a resurgent military. Yet that is exactly what he would achieve with early elections. Granted, the concept of early elections is not, in and of itself, inherently undemocratic, but its effect right now would be to weaken democracy. No matter how corrupt and inefficient the current government is, this is an outcome no political party committed to civilian supremacy should want.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2011.

COMMENTS (2)

Junaid Khan | 12 years ago | Reply Agreed! Elections should take place only after ECP completes its work i.e. complete the correct listings of electoral lists, delete the fake names and allow oversees Pakistanis to vote from the respective embassies/high commissions.

sharifL | 12 years ago | Reply

It is normal that opposition makes hue and cry about the running governments; it happens everywhere. But in Pakistan there is third player which interferes in the affairs of the civilians. All the political parties, therefore, must make sure that the criticism should be based in such a way that the 3rd party does not get a chance to mingle. I am surprised that even those who were dismissed by the army boots are behaving in a way to pave the way for them to enter Islamabad with their boots. Nobody claims that the government is the best. All we want is that it should complete its term and then hand over the driving seat to opposition if the opposition wins. PPP was handicapped by the fact that it didd not have absolute majority and has to show flexibility to those who are with them in center. We all know how difficult that is. Would MSL(N) be able to rule with MQM or ANP? I have my reservations. Another year and a half wait is far better than a decades rule by khakis, with no rule of law, no accountability. We were lucky Mushi was not Assad or Gaddafi. Otherwise he would have let thousands get killed just to cling to power. I say thank God for small favor.

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