Abuse and misuse of democracy

Abuse and misuse of democracy
By Andleeb Abbas

Published in DAWN: 25-05-08

SUSPENSE, mystery, thriller; these are some of the adjectives being used to describe the wheelings and dealings of the paired kingpins of Pakistani politics i.e. Messrs Zardari and Sharif. The drama, which has completely engrossed the whole nation and reduced it to a state of ‘to be or not to be’, has reached a somewhat whimpering end.In other words, we have a deadlock which actually means everyone ends up with less than before.The PML-N did not want the PCO judges, the PPP did not want an unrestricted Iftikhar Chaudhry, and the public did not want an adulterated mixture of a pre-/post-PCO judiciary.

However, that is what happens when you are looking to please everybody and appease no one.In this chaotic climate of conspiracy, the two men who matter the most with regard to the positions they occupy, i.e. the president and the prime minister, have apparently mattered the least. The president, visibly weakened, is now hanging on to the last political straw playing his American card to survive, while the prime minister, knowing that his days may be numbered, is unwilling to look beyond 100 days to make any meaningful commitment. Both are busy securing themselves, rather than concentrating on bailing out the country from the terrible crisis it is going through.This unholy alliance — where the philosophy of all-for-each and each-for-all prevails — is a recipe for the convergence of vested interests and manipulations. This surface convergence hides deeply rooted differences of direction and vision which will keep on surfacing as the political heat is turned up from time to time. The postponement of the by-elections with the apparent collusion of Rehman Malik and Musharraf was just the beginning of a provocation which led to unresolvable differences between the two mega stars of this soap opera titled ‘Democracy’.Democracy does allow differences of opinion. As long as there is a common goal and purpose, differences of opinion actually lead to synergistic benefits where each party ends up with more than it could have if it were alone. That is precisely why the PPP and PML-N had done so well in the elections. The common goal was to come into power by winning a majority in the elections.However, the elections were not an end but a beginning — the beginning of seeing differences surface over many issues. The reason for this friction is that the commonality of purpose has disappeared. While the PML-N is hugely anti-Musharraf and pro-Iftikhar Chaudhry, the PPP is averse to the chief justice and ready to compromise with the president to appease certain foreign forces.The beauty of democracy is that it gives an opportunity to the people to vote for a government and thus to have a say in selecting their representatives and influencing all decision-making. This supposedly makes the government representatives accountable and answerable to the people.However, this process requires a mature public which carefully assesses the pros and cons of every decision. Democracy is not a foolproof system and is especially vulnerable when its principles are challenged.Authority belongs to the majority, but where the majority is unsure, divided and desperate, the choices it makes may not be in its own or the nation’s interest. This is what the PPP is hoping to cash in on — thus for it, democracy still means ‘divide and rule’.Mr Zardari and Gen Musharraf do share some common interests. Both the PPP and Musharraf are inclined towards the White House and would like to toe the American line. It is clear that Zardari and Musharraf would not risk having a chief justice like Iftikhar Chaudhry who could challenge any decision they took and would rather have a docile figure bending all laws to accommodate their many illegitimate designs.However, alliances based on protective and insecure grounds normally end up on opposite sides, as neither party has any real intention of creating a genuine winning situation for the other.Thus Zardari and Musharraf, who have a lot of skeletons to hide in their political cupboards, are just performing a rearguard action to ward off the uncomfortable intrusion of the media, judiciary and civil society to cover up a past riddled with moral deviations.The uncommon yet common interest of all three players is the acquisition and retention of power. However, Musharraf will shamelessly claim ‘Pakistan first’, Zardari ‘roti, kapra aur makan first’, and Nawaz Sharif ‘justice first’. They are all now truly on test to prove whether democracy is a game of compromising on principles or one that entails sacrifices.Mr Sharif has taken the lead to prove his point by removing himself from power. Only time will tell whether that is a short-term political impulse or a long-term principled stand. The good thing about Mr Sharif’s move is that the true colours of each party will be on display when the immediate issue of justice reaches its compromised solution. Shallow characters lead to personality cracks which reveal the snarling faces and clenched fists of these very people who have been smiling ear to ear and thumping hand in hand. There is great danger of these grins turning into grimaces and of mudslinging and the blame game resuming.Democracy is not a term for compromising on principles, neither is it a game of getting on with all and sundry. It is not a licence to agree with the disagreeable; it is not about allowances for chronic bureaucracy; it is not a justification for non-performance; it is not an excuse for breaking promises. Democracy does not mean empowering the already powerful. It means empowering the people who have entrusted the leaders with power, and respecting and honouring their aspirations and expectations even if it means sacrificing personal interests and taking on local and foreign power-brokers. It is the misrepresentation of democracy which has given rise to the belief that in this country democracy cannot work — a philosophy which each autocrat loves to promote. The fault does not lie in the democratic approach but in its twisted manipulation and implementation.It is time that the people of this country did not spare the abusers of this approach and ensured that all these fake democracy claimants were exposed, blunted and made politically impotent. This may be difficult and tedious, but it is possible if the voice of the nation shows determination to put an end to this trend.

The writer is a consultant and CEO of Franklin Covey.andleeb@franklincoveysouthasia.com