Daily Times

Politics is an important activity in any civilised society but it is not a soap opera. In Pakistan, though, it feels just like that: fascinating people by its machinations on a daily basis and impinging on all walks of our lives. In other countries, there is a small percentage of the population that is activist and takes politics seriously. These activists become members of political parties and eventually emerge as leaders. A majority of the population take interest on a selective basis to keep an eye on regulations that appeal to them; for instance, internet neutrality laws, or rise in taxes or healthcare, etc. In Japan, governments change on average in three years but it hardly has any effect on the economic or social life of the people. That does not mean that the people in Pakistan should not take interest in politics but it should be driven by positive aspirations like voting on the day of elections, or understanding the ideological differences between the political parties.

The soap opera of Pakistani politics is at a crossroads. The actors have changed but the theme is the same: the lines are once again drawn between the establishment and the democratic government. It seems that we are ready to complete the circle and go back to the starting line. The reasons for the overthrow of the government will be the same, i.e. corruption, bad economy, risk to sovereignty and the law and order situation. We must wonder why this is happening to us every few years. Are we incapable of managing a democracy or function normally under civilian rule?

It is a fact that our politicians refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past. The biggest impediment in their lack of intellectual development is their big egos, which are easily malleable, and their chronic impatience to gain access to the seat of power by hook or crook. Corruption is not limited to the public representatives but it is expected that they will somehow control their dishonesty while other segments of society can engage in it without apprehension or fear. The majority of the current cadre of politicians were groomed under military dictatorships, which genetically tie them to the wishes of the establishment no matter how much they try to extricate themselves from it. On the other hand, the mean-spirited verbal fights on the national media tell us that there is something larger at stake than serving the people selflessly. The animosities in the end spill over to the streets between the diehard supporters of these politicians affecting everyone that has no particular interest in their fight.

In the long run, democracy is certainly a better form of government but in the short term it produces nepotism, tensions between state institutions and distorted foreign relations. The source of these ills is lack of trust and rapport between the elected representatives and the bureaucracy who are the real managers of the country. In a stable democracy, the role of the legislature is to formulate policy, which is then implemented by the bureaucracy under their watchful eye. Legislators should have no say and influence on day to day decisions but they get engaged in it, producing tensions and corruption. To have influence on decisions they try to get their favourite bureaucrats transferred to choice appointments and award promotions without merit, which further deteriorates relations. On the other hand, during military rule the bureaucrats are able to function more independently and are able to get things done with little interference from a morally tarnished dictator. This provides the bureaucracy a vested interest in the failure of democracy and re-emergence of a military dictator. They achieve this objective by going slow during civilian rule in delivery of social services, creating social unrest and intentional waste, producing larger budget deficits.

Soldiering is one of the most honourable professions in the world. Our Generals must realise that keeping one eye on the seat of power and the other on the borders is creating a security risk for the country. The Abbottabad incident, terrorist attack on the GHQ, attack on the Mehran Naval Base and November killing of 24 soldiers, to name just a few, should give our corps commanders pause that they are not able to perform their duty of protecting the state. Their focus should be to make sure that our soldiers are adequately trained, equipped and managed to fight enemies that are circling us from all sides. They should leave politics to the civilians. Protection of an ideology is the responsibility of all citizens and no army can protect its erosion so that should not be the reason to intervene in domestic affairs. There should not even be a question of the army’s involvement whether President Zardari stays or leaves or whether elections are held on time or early. Investigation of federal crimes, including treason, should be the responsibility of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that should then prosecute the culprits and seek judgements from the Supreme Court (SC) for these crimes.

It is not impossible to break the vicious circle of a dictator followed by a weak democracy and then a repeat of the same. The recipe is quite simple but difficult to implement because it requires cooperation and mutual respect from all institutions. The first step is for the managers of the three legs of democracy, i.e. the legislature, the judiciary and the executive to realise their constitutional roles and not overstep them. This will only happen when capable and honest leaders are allowed to prevail in all three functions. A capable judiciary will rise up when merit is instituted in the selection of judges. The executive will get stronger if the bureaucracy is allowed to function without political interference and the establishment of merit in its selection.

In order for a creditable legislature to emerge, it is important that political parties institute democratic values for the emergence of leadership from the grassroots. This leadership will have a better understanding of the people’s preferences and will be eager to protect their public mandate, which is hard earned by toiling for years. With the emergence of a vibrant media it is now possible that voters can learn about the credentials of candidates when casting their vote. It is incumbent on them to stand up and ensure that their votes are properly counted.

Building a nation requires hard work and engagement from every citizen of the state. We mistakenly assume that the honesty of one segment will be enough to produce a chain effect that will change the destiny of the nation. The change agents are usually a small number of people but they have to be from all segments of society linked through a common ideology. The nation is waking up to realise this but the string to link all these is still missing. Until then we will have more of the same.

The writer is the Chairman Council of Past Presidents, Pakistan Chamber of Commerce-USA. He can be reached at abdul.kundi@gmail.com