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“The Democracy, Dictatorship and the Presidency”

July 18th, 2012 | 7 Comments

By. Dr. Zaeem Zia:

When Pakistan and India came into being into 1947, both states faced almost the same problems. Today, we can see a remarkable difference between the two countries. India is one of the largest democracies in the world; on the other hand in Pakistani democracy cannot get out of its infancy. Of many reasons for the failure of democracy to survive, the President House was one.

Presidency is the sign of the integrity, dignity and symbol of federation in Pakistan. The President himself is the head of the state, and holds highest office to serve its citizens. Being said that, the role of the presidency on the contrary to its duties, has never served the democracy. Unfortunately, Presidency was used as a proxy for the establishment to derail the democratic process in Pakistan, unlike in our neighboring country.

History affirms that the Presidents were compliant with unelected institutions instead of their constitutional premises. The loyalty to serve establishment, doomed the primary obligation to serve constitution and uphold the supremacy of the civilians. The first blow to the democracy was the dissolution of the parliament by Sikandar Mirza, and handing over the reign to the field Marshal Ayub Khan and then to his successor General Yahya Khan. The reasons to dismantle the democracy were the political instability and issues related to the foreign policy. Hence, it is a known fact that it was the presidency that encouraged the military intervention in the Pakistani politics.
It did not stop here, and the President house kept aiding to the miseries to the failure of the democracy. The operation “fair play” success and the ouster of the Prime Minister ZAB was the second major blow to the dwindling democracy. Fazle E Ilahe Chodhry preferred to resume his duties as a figure head and later submitted to the General Zia Ul haq, and then begins the darkest era in the history of Pakistan. To add fuel to fire, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed governments of both PPP and PMLN in a succession of five years. In the meantime, the democracy in India kept strengthening, the Presidency in India paced itself with the democratic progress, and aided to the success of the legislature in India. President Laghari augmented the worsening of civilian supremacy, by ouster of the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Followed by General Musharraf over threw the government of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Allegations for the ousters of all the Premiers were pretty much common, including nepotism, corruption and violation of the administrative affairs. Like always, the national dignity or “Qaumi Ghairat” was another excuse for the devolution. Hence democracy was more of a concubine for the Presidency and unelected institutions.
The Presidency now, does not seem to comply with the mannerism of its predecessors. On the contrary, it has vowed to strengthen the democracy in Pakistan. We attribute every ill happening to the current President Asif Ali Zardari. Even the Osama saga is speculated to be in his knowledge. But then we forget to ask what were our security agencies doing when American seals entered Pakistani boundaries? Or by the way what was the “Ameer Ul momineen OBL” doing in the arm pit of kakool academy? We won’t bother being logical rather we will get driven away with what is being said by the non-state actors. My intentions are not to defend President Zardari, but to argue over the role of the Presidencies in the past, and Presidency now.

President Zardari is strongest president both in terms of its electoral support and parliament. He refused to be the proxy for any “revered institutions” in Pakistan; rather he happily gave away the powers to the Parliament. No one in the history of Pakistan gave away the perks and privileges so easily, particularly when it comes to 58-2B. He is the only President, who upheld the concept of supremacy of the civilian. The democracy survived and 5th budget is another victory of democracy over dictatorship in Pakistan, particularly when no one has plain majority in the parliament and active attempts to derail democracy are at peak. At least, we are confident that Pakistani will cast their votes under a civilian government.

Even though, I do agree with the shortcomings in the governance, the shortfalls in electricity, hike in inflation, law and order situation are not as good as they are supposed to be. The reason for all the problems is not the politicians solely, but the above mentioned facts and forces that do not want the democracy to flourish in Pakistan. We blame the current President for all the ill happening, But do we really do the justice we attribute everything to Zardari? Do we make sense when we say whatever has happened to Pakistan today is due to him? We have to understand the complex governing system particularly in Pakistan. Where few institutions think they are by default independent, or at least they do whatever they want to. Our logic fails when it has to deal with particular institutions, Judiciary and Ghairat, and demand for the evidence before the issue is spread. But this does not work when it’s about Zardari and like minded?
Our revered Institutions should be held more responsible for the failure of the democratic processes. For the personal gains, Military and Judiciary were used frequently, which still holds true. The Political victimization and use of blame-game tactics should not be used to gain power at any cost. The political disharmony is confirming to be the venomous factor for the democracy. Strong bureaucracy and growing influence of the institutions have always been there.

Due to he mistakes made by the previous Presidents, the country finds itself in a precarious situation. Those mistakes elicit themselves in the form of the miseries that we can see, i.e., poverty, lack of progress, social injustice, unemployment, sectarianism and terrorism, monopoly of mullahs, and other institutions within Pakistan. It is unfortunate that Pakistani nation has not learnt from the follies of the past, their non-seriousness in democracy is posing country to serious threats. The reason is the low level Political awareness in Pakistan, particularly when the hegemonic forces bar the media and educational institutions to incorporate political conscience into the people of the country, conclusively people are not even able to resist any martial law and the society succumbs to Martial Laws one after another.

To overcome the miseries of the previous governments, democracy is the only solution and it does not spring out of the thin air, it is a gradual process which benefits masses, not just a few. Like today we can see it in India. Our nation needs to know about the democracy the threats we are facing could be averted by the democracy efficiently. Let’s nurture the delicate plant of democracy until it turns into a fruitful and sheltering plant, for a better future of Pakistan.

Dr. Zaeem Zia, Writer is a scholar based in United States of America, currently in Johns Hopkins University

Written by gstechlive

Filed under: Democracy · Tags: country, India, Pakistan, Pakistani

7 Responses to "“The Democracy, Dictatorship and the Presidency”"

ahem says:

July 18, 2012 at 4:34 pm

Democracy plus islam will lead to dictatorship getting rid of democracy in the name of an arab god-concept. This arab god of the 7th century and his agents and mental slaves are your real bane in muslim societies.
wonderer says:

July 18, 2012 at 6:36 pm

This is a good attempt at examining the very complex state of affairs existing at present in Pakistan. There is much more to the subject which a Muslim Pakistani will not permit himself to examine; there is so much concerning religion, history, Jinnah etc, that is unmentionable. For those who may be interested I will recommend a conversation between three knowledgable Pakistanis, two Muslim and one Christian, in Canada on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FBikPpC7T4&feature=related

and between two Muslims in this one:

http://www.siasat.pk/forum/showthread.php?118185-Bilatakalluf-15th-June-2012-Tarek-Fatah-Questions-Memogate-Commision-Report-amp-Pakistan-Ligitimacy

Both are in Urdu.
henry says:

July 19, 2012 at 11:19 am

Democracy and Slaughter in Burma: Gold Rush Overrides Human Rights
The widespread killings of Rohingya Muslims in Burma – or Myanmar – have received only passing and dispassionate coverage in most media. What they actually warrant is widespread outrage and decisive efforts to bring further human rights abuses to an immediate halt.

“Burmese helicopter set fire to three boats carrying nearly 50 Muslim Rohingyas fleeing sectarian violence in western Burma in an attack that is believed to have killed everyone on board,” reported Radio Free Europe on July 12.

Why would anyone take such fatal risks? Refugees are attempting to escape imminent death, torture or arrest at the hands of the Ethnic Buddhist Rakhine majority, which has the full support of the Burmese government.

The relatively little media interest in Burma’s ‘ethnic clashes’ is by no means an indication of the significance of the story. The recent flaring of violence followed the raping and killing of a Rhakine woman on May 28, allegedly by three Rohingya men. The incident ushered a rare movement of unity between many sectors of Burmese society, including the government, security forces and so-called pro-democracy activists and groups. The first order of business was the beating to death of ten innocent Muslims. The victims, who were dragged out of a bus and attacked by a mob of 300 strong Buddhist Rhakine, were not even Rohingyas, according to the Bangkok Post (June 22). Not all Muslims in Burma are from the Rohingya ethnic group. Some are descendants of Indian immigrants, some have Chinese ancestry, and some even have early Arab and Persian origins. Burma is a country with a population of an estimated 60 million, only 4 percent of whom are Muslim.

Regardless of numbers, the abuses are widespread and rioters are facing little or no repercussions for their actions. “The Rohingyas…face some of the worst discrimination in the world,” reported Reuters on July 4, citing rights groups. UK-based Equal Rights Trust indicated that the recent violence is not merely due to ethnic clashes, but actually involves active government participation. “From June 16 onwards, the military became more actively involved in committing acts of violence and other human rights abuses against the Rohingya including killings and mass-scale arrests of Rohingya men and boys in North Rakhine State.”

The ‘pro-democracy’ Burmese groups and individuals celebrated by Western governments for objecting to the country’s military junta are also taking part in the war against minorities. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald on July 8, Hanna Hindstrom reported that one pro-democracy group stated on Twitter that “[t]he so-called Rohingya are liars,” while another social media user said, “We must kill all the kalar.” Kalar is a racist slur applied to dark-skinned people from the Indian subcontinent

Politically, Burma has a poor reputation. A protracted civil war has ravaged the country shortly after its independence from Britain in 1948. The colonial era was exceptionally destructive as the country was used as a battleground for great powers. Many Burmese were slaughtered in a situation that was not of their making. As foreign powers divided the country according to their own purposes, an ensuing civil war was almost predictable. It supposedly ended when a military junta took over from 1962 to 2011, but many of the underlying problems remained unresolved.

Per western media coverage, Burma is defined by a few ‘iconic’ individuals’ quest for democracy, notwithstanding opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Since an election last year brought a civilian government to power, we have been led to believe that a happy ending is now in the making. “Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi made her historic parliamentary debut on Monday (July 9), marking a new phase in her near quarter century struggle to bring democracy to her army-dominated homeland,” reported the British Telegraph.

But aside from mere ‘concerns’ over the ethnic violence, Aung San Suu Kyi is staying on the fence – as if the slaughter of the country’s ‘dark-skinned Indians’ is not as urgent as having a parliamentary representation for her party, the National League for Democracy in Burma. Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called on ‘The Lady’ to do something, anything. “As a Nobel Peace Laureate, we are confident that the first step of your journey towards ensuring peace in the world would start from your own doorstep and that you would play a positive role in bringing an end to the violence that has afflicted Arakan State,” he wrote. However, “Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy continues to carefully sidestep the hot-button issue,” according to Foreign Policy.

The violent targeting of Burmese minorities arrived at an interesting time for the US and Britain. Their pro-democracy campaign was largely called off when the junta agreed to provide semi-democratic reforms. Eager to offset the near exclusive Chinese influence over the Burmese economy, Western companies jumped into Burma as if one of the most oppressive regimes in the world was suddenly resurrected into an oasis for democracy.

“The gold rush for Burma has begun,” wrote Alex Spillius in the British Guardian. It was ushered in by US President Barak Obama’s recent lifting of the ban on American investment in the country. Britain immediately followed suit, as a UK trade office was hurriedly opened in Rangoon on July 11. “Its aim is to forge links with one of the last unexploited markets in Asia, a country blessed by ample resources of hydro-carbons, minerals, gems and timber, not to mention a cheap labour force, which thanks to years of isolation and sanctions is near virgin territory for foreign investors.” Since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her ‘historic’ visit to Burma in December 2011, a recurring media theme has been ‘Burma riches’ and the ‘race for Burma’. Little else is being discussed, and certainly not minority rights.

Recently, Clinton held a meeting with Burma’s President Thein Sein, who is now being branded as another success story for US diplomacy. On the agenda are US concerns regarding the “lack of transparency in Burma’s investment environment and the military’s role in the economy” (CNN, July 12). Thein Sein, however, is guilty of much greater sins, for he is providing a dangerous political discourse that could possibly lead to more killings, or even genocide. The ‘reformist’ president told the UN that “refugee camps or deportation is the solution for nearly a million Rohingya Muslims,” according to ABC Australia. He offered to send the Rohingyas away “if any third country would accept them.”

The Rohingyas are currently undergoing one of the most violent episodes of their history, and their suffering is one of the most pressing issues anywhere in the world. Yet their plight is suspiciously absent from regional and international priorities, or is undercut by giddiness over the country’s “ample resources of hydro-carbons, minerals, gems and timber.”

Meanwhile, the stateless and defenseless Rohingyas continue to suffer and die. Those lucky to make it to Bangladesh are being turned back. Aside from few courageous journalists – indifferent to the country’s promise for ‘democracy’ and other fables – most are simply looking the other way. This tragic attitude must immediately change if human rights matter in the least.
ali Sadiq says:

July 21, 2012 at 4:07 am

I agree with Dr.Zaeem Zia.Pakistani nation is not logical in its thinking.They blame Zardari for every evil but he is not.I am not supporting Mr.Zardari but there are lot pressure groups which are involved in the decision making and yes Mr.Zardari gave his powers to parliament which will strengthen democracy.
Vish says:

July 21, 2012 at 3:55 pm

When the formation of Pakistan itself was a negation of democracy, it is difficult to see how democracy can take root.
Zaeem says:

July 21, 2012 at 9:42 pm

@Vish, To an extent I agree- But since its already been done we have to look at managing it in right direction.

@Ali Raza- Zardari is the scapegoat and fits for the Blame the victim game- However, things are going in the right direction and hopefully democracy will flourish in Pakistan soon-
Karim says:

July 27, 2012 at 4:08 am

Good dr.sb for a wonderful article. jiay zardari