Democracy: blessing or a bane?

Every October, Pakistanis are reminded of the murder of democracy on October 12, 1999. Around nine years after that — in 2008 — we saw the downfall of a military dictatorship and the dawn of democratic government in Pakistan.

Today, Pakistanis have experienced freedom for four years. It has been the best of times and the worst of times. It has been the best of times because there is freedom of speech, a free media where all kinds of views are expounded on talk shows and where no one is spared, be it the head of state. Dictator Pervez Musharraf was a bad listener and a compulsive bluffer who, could blab for hours on television and get away with it. He would handle two subjects, ie, media manipulation and human resource replacements himself. Through a well-orchestrated media campaign, he portrayed himself as Mr Clean to the domestic and foreign media. However, now, whenever he is asked about his wealth, he doesn’t give a direct answer or deflects the question. It may be worth mentioning that when he and I went to China in mid-1999, we had only a few hundred dollars for shopping and both of us had to think many times before deciding on the purchase of an item. After a decade, I am still counting pennies whereas he is undeniably rich.

Moving on, the Pakistan of today suffers from serious energy shortages, so much so that the shortfall is affecting our industry, agriculture and trade. The rich are not ready to part with their extortion or pillage for the good of the common man and the poor are, surprisingly, too peevish, to stand up for their rights. The poor have been suppressed for so long that they have gotten used to living in extreme poverty without food, clothing and shelter. However, the frustration is now reaching its limit and the rubber string of patience will snap one day and engulf this nation with riots and looting. One small spark will be enough to start a fire which will be impossible to control. The answer to our present turmoil lies in poor-friendly policies, which must be introduced without any loss of time or else, we will become a failed state. The present government is thriving on chaos more than anything else and there seems no long-term planning.

Are we heading for a revolution, or a military intervention, or a civil war? We must learn from the experience of the West. Religion must not be overplayed by religious groups and they must all look for common ground instead of fighting over differences. The government should consider introducing ration cards so that the poor may be provided subsidised food items. Indirect taxation must be cut if not totally eliminated. Export of food items must be banned except surplus rice and this could at least stabilise food prices, if not bring them down.

Pakistan’s defence needs take the major share of the national budget. However, a reduction in this was a logical expectation, especially after the nuclear tests of 1998. However, for vested interests, Musharaf did not reduce the armed forces budget since they were his power base. He readily agreed to enter America’s ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan to curry favour with Washington and this only increased his stranglehold on power. Foreign elements in Fata should have been handled using covert intelligence operations instead of involving the whole of the Pakistan Army, because this only caused retaliatory attacks against it and these continue to this day.

Of course, there is a silver lining and that is in our superior judiciary of today. The present Chief Justice of Pakistan is displaying wisdom and courage to uphold the rule of the Constitution. Public support is a must for the judiciary so that they can exercise their power and are not embarrassed through non-compliance of orders by the executive. Democracy is, no doubt, a blessing for the people of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2012.