New calendar, new hopes

As the date changes to 2014, all one can do is naively hope that things will get better; because, as the German philosopher Friedrich Hegel said, the only thing we learn from history, is that we can never learn anything from history.

The start of the New Year marks nearly six months for the new government. But, despite a historic democratic transition in 2013, democracy continues to face grave challenges. With most provinces using delaying tactics for local bodies polls, it is crucial to overhaul the system of voting in 2014. It is even more important not to take democracy for granted for even though the dark quarters may be at bay, voters cannot be allowed to lose faith in the system, which is what I experienced in last year’s general elections.

Being a first-time voter and a budding journalist bombarded with polls-related information, I was naturally excited for the May 2013 elections. In the weeks leading up to the elections, democracy was the name of the game and you automatically became ‘cool’ if you were into voting and taking bets on who’d win how many seats.

But then, something very interesting happened: the elections turned into not only a media circus, as that’s a given with almost every event these days, but led to genuine disappointment with how the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conducted the polls. Supporters of democracy kept chanting the ‘every vote counts’ mantra, but I would chant Karl Marx’s words, which suggest: “What matters is who counts.” All that was needed was appropriate prior planning, but of course, that’s way too much to ask in a country where haphazardness is the order of the day. I hope this changes in 2014.

Moreover, we must not forget the sheer mockery of democracy made by the returning officers during the selection and scrutiny process. Ridicule of aspiring people’s representatives by the judiciary’s officers was the order of the day. And as usual, news channels had a field day. Flip the pages of the 2013 calendar backwards and you have Tahirul Qadri’s farcical dharna in Islamabad — all to save democracy and ensure adherence to the controversial Articles 62 and 63.

The pro-democracy momentum created before the election was remarkable. The voter turnout stood at 55 per cent of registered voters, the highest in recent history. In order to ensure that the number does not drop next time around, the ECP needs to set its house in order. A starting point would be to employ its own trained staff at every position, so teachers and magistrates can be spared from this all-important exercise. Rather than franchising roles to organisations, such as the NADRA, the ECP needs its own vote-verification units. Indeed, much needs to be done. And 2014 is a perfect year to kick-start it all. Happy New Year! 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2014.