The writer is Editor of The Express Tribune
Senator Raza Rabbani was reported to have been in tears as the 21st amendment to our much-amended constitution was passed some days back. It was for him, and many others, a moment of shame. Rabbani voted on principle because his party had taken this line and also hinted that he and his party may part ways in the coming days.
Some unkind souls termed them crocodile tears but I for one know that if there is anyone who has been behind having democracy implemented in its true spirit, that person is Senator Raza Rabbani. For nearly a decade in the senate and many years in and out of power, he has worked to bring sense to the sometimes senseless politics of Pakistan.
It is to him that we credit with the passage of the 18th amendment, which was described as one of the most significant pieces of legislation to bring the government closer to the people. The devolution process was started but it has met with limited success.
Since the passage of that historic legislation in 2010, all efforts have been made to kill it in letter and spirit by those who feel threatened by giving power to the provinces. It is ironic that even when the Peoples Party government was both at the centre and in at least one province, nothing was done to have the amendment implemented in the manner that was envisaged.
Coming back to Senator Rabbani, one can sympathise with him. I once met him many years ago at a dinner in Karachi and asked him, quite naively, why some elected representatives of his party acted as hooligans. Leave alone the Aman committees and the massive outer city encroachments, why do they force us off the roads in their brand new SUVs and abuse us if we don’t do so. Senator Rabbani looked at me and then turned the other way and walked off. At least he did not attempt to give me a spiel like some other PPP leaders I know. I can live with that.
Like me, many Pakistanis continue to be disillusioned by politicians, but in some cases not democracy. It is our politicians that have let us down time and again with regards to our aspirations for democratic governance in the country. There is so much corruption in the country and the lack of accountability at every level that many long for some sort of change – no matter what the cost. This is not a good place to be in.
So the 22nd amendment should come as no surprise. It was cobbled together by the father of consensus politics in Pakistan, former president Asif Zardari. He seems to have specialised in the art of give and take. The only problem with this arrangement is that it is the people of Pakistan that usually end up giving.
But do people care that the amendment distorts the principle of separation of powers. It is also in some way a reversal of earlier amendments to the constitution where efforts were made to vest power in the elected representatives.
One wonders what the compulsion was to go ahead with this other than being on the right side of public opinion after the Peshawar tragedy. The only person to have showed some protest was Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but that too was not for ideological reasons.
There are many who argue, however, that desperate times call for desperate measures. Pakistan is in a state of war. The state had been unable to respond effectively to the threat owing to political and legal compulsions. But one cannot ignore the stakeholders who have forced these conditions on us.
Our army chief has argued that military courts are not the desire of the army but the need of extraordinary times. Possibly in the larger picture, they will play a role in the war on terror which has been forced upon us.
Sectarian and ethnic killings continue. We will have to fight this cancer as well. And for this we need both agreement within and determination all around.
What we do know is that we have to fight terrorism but the
litmus test in this is how we deal with those who some quarters do not consider to be working against the interests of the state. We
wait and see.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (5)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
There is a general perception in Europe that the muslim majority Governments do not feel at ease with democracy and this because of their religion. I am a muslim and a European too and am of the opinion that this anamoly has no relation with the religion of Islam, but mainly due to their history of having lived under colonial rule which was then followed by the military dictatorship and lack of education has deprived them of the enlightenment and humanism which is the fundamental of Islam which is based on Egalitarianism. Both Egypt and Pakistan are the worst scenarios where their large armies are suffocating the intellects of the younger generation. This is just my opinion and I have no interest to demean Pakistan citizens or their leaders.
Rex Minor
I hope he also shed a few tears when his government committed so many atrocities during their 5 year term.
I hope he also shed a few tears when his government committed so many atocities during their 5 year term.
Among those who were not too impressed with the tears of Mian Raza Rabbani, you can count me as well. And this because I believe that Raza Rabbani, and others similarly disposed, hold Constitution as something like a work of art, a masterpiece, which has to be appreciated and protected for the beauty of its own. And I feel differently.
Now, I believe that the Constitution, the laws and policies of the state are there to work towards the broader interests and welfare of the people, and should not be seen in isolation, completely divorced from their basic objective of serving the people.
As such, I feel Mian Raza Rabbani should have shed a tear or two also when his party was busy, ruthlessly hacking down the Sind Local Government Act in order to strip it of all its powers, and was thus preventing the fruits of Raza Rabbani masterpiece, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution and the devolution there-under, from reaching the masses. Making local governments powerless also deprives the masses of a training ground for future leaders.
And the party has failed to hold local government elections even under this much-hacked-down Sind Local Government Act. which made a strong case for another few tears but none were shed.
And you say that Raza Rabbani hinted at parting ways with his party in coming days. If so, this was as good an occasion as any to do so. After all, Bertrand Russell ended his long association with the Labour Party over a matter of principle and tore up his party membership card.
Karachi
The Military court is just another example that the Pakistani establishment is groping in the dark for a magic wand to address its problems ... without being honest to itself and the people of Pakistan ... !!