Democratic Challengers

(Jahanzeb, Gujranwala)

Democracy is a huge phenomenon for a setup like Pakistan politics, on which our political leadership and so called democratic forces of our nation, have been working for almost 63 years now. Well we haven’t seen so much of this yet I our country, but yes we have the western democracies to follow or may be an example of our neighbors country. As we’ve adopted a lot from the west over the years, as we’ve a mixed culture currently prevailing in our country, which seems to be more pro-western than anytime before in our history; but actually I don’t know why we can’t adopt this particular phenomenon. A reason stated by one of the ex-government representative quoted as: “West shouldn’t ask us to learn the lesson of democracy by this time, as they took 600 years to learn this by themselves”

This statement might seem to be very convincing but we should look into the fact that the time they started this fight for democracy, there was no such phenomenon and they were at civil war. They fought for a cause in a situation where the whole west was uncivilized in many ways. And trying to apply that situation to ours is unjust. We’re at no civil war but what we have is just a political tug-of-war kind of situation. Our own democratically elected governments are destroying the democracy! The cause behind choosing a government by general public elections, and getting the representatives form the very public was never, betting on their political wars, but it is assumed that they’ll promote some development in the areas of public interest.

The major blows suffered by our dream of democracy were because of several martial laws. In our history of 63 years now, we’ve managed to hold eight general public elections to form parliaments. A parliament is supposed to survive a five years period of its tenor, but unfortunately only one of them did managed to survive this long time span. Two of the previous seven were toppled by the interference of the army and all the others were victims of the political instability. Another major thing is that, in Pakistan no one can form a government without the full cooperation of the state actors, an example of this is the current government formed in Bolochistan Province, where PML had the majority till PPP stepped forward to form the government. And over the period of time, our oppositions have blamed the elections to be unfair… and just in months after the formation of government the opposition uses to blow the government by any means possible. The only parliament which completed it’s tenor, was a parliament that was fully supported by another army man, and that was the only reason behind this survival. Although the year 2007, was the worst for the Pakistan as the internal affairs were so much contaminated because of the lacking of positive policies, and this government opposition thing. But the opposition failed to put the PML government under pressure because the both ex-prime ministers were forced to stay out of politics as well the country, by an illegal effort by government at that time.

It’s believed that in the times of true democracy, the parliament is the most powerful and supreme entity in the country but such definition are not covered by our constitution; which has been bandaged for 17 times till it was first applied in 1973. Being powerful, somehow our parliaments have managed to do this thing quite progressively. But now, when the current government has passed almost a year, our country is once more at stake because of this political conflict among the parties thing. In the elections held on 18th Feb 2008, both the major parties PPP and PML-N formed a coalition government and promised many a things they failed to do… they asked people to vote them to bring change in the country, they never kept their word, even to the promises they made with themselves.

When the coalition was formed after the previous elections, it was decided or at least it was told that that coalition was up to three things: the first thing was to get the disposed off judges restored. The others were like separating the President at that time, Mr Pervaiz Musharaf, and the last was to remove the 17th amendment from the constitution. The first achievement of this government was to separate the president from the presidency… but as it appeared to happened PML-N separated itself from the PPP on some sensitive issues and from that time the traditional fighting between the two rival parties is going on. PPP got its co-chairman elected as the President and at that time the newly elected President promised the nation a few thing: to remove the 17th amendment to make the parliament more powerful and a few more.

It was promised by both the parties that they will respect each others mandate in federal and provincial assemblies, so that it’ll be possible to start a new democratic regime in the country for the first time in the history. But how is it possible when PPP and PML-N both were mudding each others’ position and policies. Here PML-N joined the movement somewhere started by the lawyer and human right associations, for the reinstatement of the judges. Well in their times of coalition with PPP, none of the both parties presented any bill in the house to talk about or to be passed to get this thing happened, which PML-N tells to be its only cause behind participating in the previous elections.

The major exchange of fire started in the February, when SC ended the case against the leadership of PML-N, leaving them disqualified for elections, this result might base on any reason but it once again sent us to the political times of mid 90s. Then PML-N started standing with the cause they left somewhere in earlier months. The leadership of the of lawyers’ movement had called for a long march on 12th of march, and after their being disqualified PML-N announced to be a part of this thing. No mater if this long march was successful because of the huge support of PML-N leadership and supporters, but now when judiciary is restored an several lawyers have showed their confidence in this act of the president and PM, why is it so that PML-N is still blaming the government for thing, those neither they did in their own regime.

Now its been attribute to the PM:-N leadership that they are up to force the president to quit or at least the end of 17th amendment not by dialogues but by another long march, they have even announced a dead line of next march. And on the other hand its been attributed to the president that he doesn’t believe that PML-N’s government in the province will leave the federal government stable and he is up to form PPP government in Punjab. It has become a national crisis situation, where only the public will loose every thing, just because of the leadership of the two parties want to form a government. It’s been a dead-lock kind of situation where there are no more dialogues and even the west, whom never wanted us being stable is showing its concern about this.
So on the behalf of my Nation, I just want to request the Leadership of two respective parties; if the care to become the leadership of this country instead of their parties? And this might be possible as they told us themselves, by putting the past behind and working on a national agenda! And this step is of the worth for whole country and its progress!!!

20th March, 2009
 

Jahanzeb
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