Daily Times

‘The democracy in action’ were the words uttered by the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the US President Jimmy Carter witnessing a session of Knesset (Parliament) in his maiden visit to the Jewish state in March 1979 when the parliamentary debate descended into vituperation. He whispered all this to the US leader with a sense of pride while I have used the words with recurring forebodings given the unpleasant history the political tumult in our country has always culminated in. It has been so from Democratic Action Committee to Pakistan National Alliance to MRD or later the acrimonious political contest between the Bhuttos and Sharifs. The end result has always been the derailment of the system.

The recent political developments have exposed the weaknesses of the fragile democratic system the country was set on in February 2008 after the collapse of the authoritarian rule of General Pervez Musharraf. We are having the third elected government in place. The previous two democratic terms revealed that our leaders have regrettably not learnt a lesson from their past mistakes, political travails, tribulations and exiles. They talk big feigning to be democrats, committed to rule of law and the supremacy of the Parliament. In the name of democracy, they employ all dirty tricks to undermine institutions and blackmail sitting elected governments. They change colour like chameleon no sooner than they are voted into power.

This has been the irony of our politics. Resistance is their right; the protection of system their duty

Since the powerful establishment, with a few exceptions, has picked and groomed the current lot of political leaders, they have never been able to come out of its shadow notwithstanding their apparent political stand and rhetoric either on the trail of an election campaign or as opposition leaders. They lack despairingly in following democratic norms and fail in their constitutional responsibility to respect the verdict of the people, strengthen the civilian institutions, promote parliamentary role in legislation and state affairs and help address perennial threats to the security of the country. They have failed to grasp the hard fact that the establishment could only be brought under civilian supremacy by strengthening civil and democratic institutions, and not by rhetoric, distortion of facts and noisy campaigns.

It is the inherent duty of the opposition to criticize the government in power. A good opposition takes on the government for deviations from constitutional path, democratic norms and practices in parliamentary debates, and by orderly public campaigns. It is also within its mandate to force and nudge the ruling lot towards good legislation and better management of the state affairs. Hindering parliamentary debates or paralyzing the parliament, indulging in scandalous campaigns against civilian institutions and security establishment, disregarding rule of law or ridiculing adverse judicial verdicts, politicizing the process of accountability all are alien to democracy, good governance and rational political behavior.

We have long past the 1950s and 1960s when the censorship was used as a tool to tame media. We are in times of booming information technology. The sources of communication have multiplied turning the world into a well-connected global village. The Covid-19 has introduced us to virtual conferences, meetings and addresses, and online schooling. To think of curtailing the space for print and electronic media or banning the social media would be a sheer stupidity. The opposition should exercise its right of mass contact and noisy protest in the parliament. It would only expose itself to public reprimand if it indulges in vituperation and vitriol.

The public office holders should submit to accountability. The process should continue without any let or hindrance. It is within the statutory mandate of the National Accountability to make it across-the-board, fair and transparent. It must have received complaints in hundreds of thousands. However, it should go for investigation into those which prima facie make prosecutable cases which must be in abundance. Corruption has been eating into the vitals of this nation since long. Raymond W. Baker in his internationally acclaimed’ Capitalism’s Achilles Heel’, published in 2005 has tabulated the details of the illegally acquired assets of the Sharifs and Zardaris. The Wall Street Journal’s revelation of the kickbacks by the Abraj Group to win the bid for K-Electric or the report of Daily Mail, London about the embezzlement of funds in Punjab are matters of recent months. The allegations of Mr. Noorani, a Pakistani journalist, against General Asim Bajwa become insignificance if contrasted with the revelations by the above internationally credible sources. The National Accountability Bureau can investigate the General if the allegations prima facie make a prosecutable case.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement is within its democratic right to dislodge the government. They have to ensure their campaign remains within democratic precincts – and it does not degenerate into chaos and anarchy weakening the security of the state. The chaos created by the politicians has always given an opportunity to the praetorian forces to wrap up the system. This has been the irony of our politics. Resistance is their right; the protection of system their duty.

President Jimmy Carter observes in his ‘Palestine: Peace and not Apartheid’ that he was shocked to hear the no-holds-barred speeches of the Israeli parliamentarians degenerating into shouts, ridicule and vituperation. However, the House returned to serenity and seriousness as the question of the security of the state came up for discussion’. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have earned the everlasting gratitude of the nation by warding off dangerous to its security and provided a string of leaders to the country including Bin Gurion, Ezer Weizman, Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon.

These Generals served the nation well in their military professions. They joined politics and reached the pinnacle of power through political process after their professional careers. The IDF respects civilian supremacy and follows the policies of the government keeping above political battles. Our political and military leaderships have to learn a lesson from this nation which we do not tire of cursing. We should talk less. Our faith in democracy should be reflected in our actions.

The author was a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan and he has authored two books