There has been plenty of noise over the referendum in the UK. They’ve quit the European Union (EU) — the English mind you; the Scots and Northern Irish have other ideas. The turnout was 72 percent. There is a petition asking government for another referendum, and it has now upwards of three million signatures; but another referendum seems like a distant possibility. “Stay or not stay,” there are at least three key words from the UK-EU affair relevant to the Pakistani context: parliament, referendums and democracy.
The British say their parliament is sovereign because it can legislate on any matter. There are no fetters on its domain. Right then, isn’t there the faint possibility that the unrestrained power of the British parliament could morph into some kind of dictatorship? Especially when you consider that the majority party in parliament may not always enjoy an actual majority. This kind of situation could emerge if the turnout in an election were particularly dismal; say 50 percent or less of the electorate turning out to vote (it hasn’t happened to date). Fifty percent of the people coming to vote would mean that the votes would be divided among the parties contesting the election. The government formed thus would in fact be a “minority” government since it would have the support of less than half the electorate. This brings us to the second key word.
The “Remain or Leave” referendum in the UK, last week, proved most of these fears wrong. In democratic dispensations, such as the UK, the government can hold a referendum when it is faced by a decision that is anticipated to impact the country far beyond the tenure of the sitting government. The government goes back to the people saying, “This seemed like too important a matter for us blokes to decide in the House, so we’ve brought it to you.” This is what David Cameron did. The people then decide, as they did in favour of the British exit from the EU. Since it is the people who decide the outcome, the danger of a minority government dictating the path the country has to take is thwarted. And Cameron’s wasn’t even a minority government to begin with.
But what if the people take the wrong decision? What if it was a terrible mistake to part ways with the EU? On the same tack, what if uncritical masses elect someone like Donald Trump? What if elected leaders behave like autocrats? Democracy, it seems, might have its pitfalls. Detractors of democracy have often invoked arguments such as these. And they might be right on some counts. There are many such people on our TV channels. And they seem hell bent on having the sitting government, and usually all elected governments, removed. The sitting government, like most civilian dispensations, has left more than a lot to be desired. Does that mean democracy just isn’t right for us?
It is ironic but democracy is still everyone’s recourse. Even dictators have sought legitimacy through some form of public participation. Hosni Mubarak of Egypt organised regular elections that brought him landslide victories. A similar trick was pulled by military strongman General Abdel Fateh al-Sissi, who reversed the Arab Spring in June 2013. A handy tool for dictators in Pakistan has been the referendum. Here these exercises were held by dictators who had toppled elected governments to ask the public if they wanted the dictators to stay on. Technically speaking, this is not what a referendum is meant for since the constitution requires regular country and province-wise elections for people to choose their representatives. But dexterous legal wizards and pliant superior court judges have always been, and perhaps always will be, aplenty. All referendums in Pakistan were controversial with serious allegations of massive rigging. All such exercises resulted in a favourable outcome for the incumbent military dictator. This is what referendums have been reduced to. But it tells us that every ruler needs to have some semblance of legitimacy, some claim on being representative to have a chance at an 11-odd-year stint.
In Pakistan, sections of the urban population often deride parliament and hurl (sometimes deserved) expletives at parliamentarians. An oft-repeated argument goes like this. Most Pakistanis are illiterate. Many do not know whom they are voting for. Constituencies can sometimes be bought. The people are completely unaware of, or display blatant disregard for the principles of constitutional democracy. Democracy could have worked if we enjoyed the same levels of literacy and public awareness that Europeans, Americans and Australians do. Well! Most Pakistanis are also completely unaware of, or display blatant disregard for traffic regulations. They stop on, not before, zebra crossings; overtake traffic from whichever side they wish to; go the wrong way on one-way streets; cross red lights; smoke at petrol pumps and urinate on sidewalks. Does this mean Pakistanis shouldn’t be allowed to drive? So, should we confiscate all vehicles and wait until we are civilised enough to regulate democracy and traffic on a par with European countries? Democracy is not wedded to western society or politics.
According to the last Democracy Index, some of the most democratic countries in the world include South Korea, Mauritius and Uruguay, in addition to the US and the old European democracies. This means that democracy is not a Euro-centric phenomenon. The world’s freest welfare states — countries with the highest literacy rates, the best education, near-universal healthcare, technological advancement, and public amenities — are democracies not dictatorships. This means that democracy is about more than just elections. Incidentally, these are also the same countries Pakistanis most desire to immigrate to.
There is yet another problem the anti-democracy camp in Pakistan highlights. And it is a valid point. Collective wisdom might be wrong on occasion. The exit from the EU might be a grave mistake. But even here is a lesson for us. Referendums and democracy are not infallible. But with democracy comes collective responsibility. Brexit or no Brexit, it is the people who will decide and bear the consequences — collectively. Perhaps what we in Pakistan should learn from the Brexit affair is that the only solution to problems within democracy is more democracy.
The writer is a lecturer in English Literature at GCU, Lahore. He can be reached at [email protected]