A TIP report issued on April 25 says that the government must prioritise effective monitoring systems that will give the citizenry the power to hold every element of government accountable, which is probably the very last thing that every element of government would want now or at any time in the future. The report itself is bleak — a catalogue of undemocratic and despotic dynastic political parties, a weak justice system and corruption, corruption everywhere. The state is held captive by private interests and the people have lost trust in the processes that perpetuate what passes for democracy in Pakistan.
It would be easy to characterise the report as just another example of a downward spiral, but it is also a chance to turn a threat into an opportunity — particularly for civil society. Rather than banging the table at yet another example of how bad things are in Pakistan, it is time for civil society in its many and varied forms and formats, to play a more coordinated and proactive role. The TIP report is evidence, evidence that can be used as leverage if only the disparate and ill-coordinated organisations that make up what amounts to the political opposition in Pakistan, could find a way to unify and present a countervailing narrative that had heft and traction. If we are ever to see accountability in Pakistan it will have to be fought for. Starting now.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
nice one