In an animated debate on democracy, 14 young students spoke their minds.
Amid fiery pseudo-revolutions and the historically noteworthy wind-up of a disappointing, yet undeterred democratic term, the looming promise of elections has left Pakistan’s air ripe with questions about the country’s survival.
The democracy debate is not limited to politicians and intellectuals. Younger citizens also struggle for answers and find themselves weighing the few successes of the current democratic government against the promised benefits of the system – if it is allowed to flourish, sans boots and revolutions.
In an animated debate on democracy at the Citizen Foundation Model School in Afshan Colony, Rawalpindi, 14 young students spoke their minds, and quite vigorously so. As they were too young to grasp the complexity of some issues, arguments were simplified, but still pertinent.
Those in favour of the motion, democracy as Pakistan’s saving grace, asserted democracy needed “time to flourish” without the constant threat of being dislodged by military interference. Citing Ziaul Haq and his “Kalashnikov culture”, Yahya Khan’s human rights violation vis-à-vis abuses suffered by East Pakistanis leading to the fall of Dhaka, and Ayub Khan’s blind eye to elitist “plundering” of the country’s resources, the speakers stressed need for stability in the form of a democratic Pakistan where the basic needs of the people were met.
“We cannot afford another martial law,” said human rights activist Tahira Abdullah, who was a judge at the debate competition.
On the other side of the motion were those who felt democracy had failed them. The failure of the ruling democracy in providing gas, power, education, employment and basic healthcare to the masses provided a dreary picture of what the future will hold if the system were to continue.
Eventually, the pro-democracy speakers were deemed the winners by the judges.
The competition was jointly arranged by the Citizens Foundation Model School and Badalti Dunya Forum.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2013.
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