Print this page.

Join Pakistan's leading discussion group on Internet and post your views. It is free and easy to subscribe.

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. 
Winston Churchill

Members of senate, National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies should confine to their primary duty of legislature and policy matters. They should not be allotted Development Fund which is a major source of corruption and inflation. And none of them should be allowed to serve as a minister. The cabinet should comprise of professionally competent people preferably experts. After all for appointment of a junior officer strict qualifications are prescribed. Why not for those entrusted with passing laws and deliberating on policy matters.

As an American author opined a truly functioning democracy requires an informed, educated and proactive citizenry. A vigilant and free press and leaders with a modicum of integrity are necessary condiments to concoct this utopian brew. In America all are missing. The continued prosecution of illegal, immoral and preemptive wars by the Democratic House, Senate and President despite campaign promises to the contrary reveals that there is no difference between the Democrat and Republican twins totally under the thumbs of the military industrial lobbies.		 .

The Cure for Evils of Democracy in Pakistan

By Shah N. Khan, Moderator, Pakistan Post - Internet Discussion Group

Many people feel that democracy has not been given a fair chance in Pakistan by the military dictators and their foreign supporters. And some people wonder why the modern democracy has not been successful in most of the Islamic countries. Enlightened Muslims feel that Muslims should consider adopting secular and democratic principles for their countries. But religious parties are clamoring for Islamic system without defining its practical applications.

The constitution of Pakistan guarantees fundamental rights and freedom of association and a large number of political parties operate in Pakistan. Most of the leading parties are regarded, more or less, as Personality Cults and leadership is inherited as is usual in monarchies. However, the elected Politicians and their Governments failed to fulfill the aspiration of the people. Due to their misrule a culture of corruption , nepotism, intolerance, extremism and lawlessness developed revealing the truth of the following words.

Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. _George Bernard Shaw.

No amount of charters, direct primaries, or short ballots will make a democracy out of an illiterate people._Walter Lippmann (1889–1974), U.S. journalist, A Preface to Politics.

Democracy is merely a method for the transfer of power according to choice of the voters. However, in Pakistan hardly 50% Voters turnout at elections and complaints of massive rigging are always there during and after the polling. Accuracy of voters lists has often been questioned.

There are certain universal truths about evils of democracy as observed in US, India etc. They are described later in this paper. They have prompted me to conclude that a truly functional democracy – specially in conditions such as ours, where ignorance is prevailing and ethnic prejudices are growing can work only when we spell out in Federal constitution the various additional provisions such as outlined below, for which elaborated details would have to be worked out.

  • Local Bodies: Pakistan should have a uniform Local Body Government system in all provinces and districts. They should be responsiible for not only municipal matter but also the law and order and development of roads etc.
  • Compulsory Free Education: Pakistan should have compulsory free education up to primary level. Adult Literacy programs be developed.
  • Uniform curriculum for Educational Institution: Pakistan should have a uniform curriculum for schools and colleges as well as Religious Schools with provision for different regional languages and religious beliefs.
  • Members of senate, National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies should confine to their primary duty of legislature and policy matters. They should not be allotted Development Fund which is a major source of corruption and inflation. And none of them should be allowed to serve as a minister. The cabinet should comprise of professionally competent people preferably experts. After all for appointment of a junior officer strict qualifications are prescribed. Why not for those entrusted with passing laws and deliberating on policy matters.
  • The number of ministers should be restricted to 8 in Provincial and 6 in Federal cabinet.
  • More Provinces: Pakistan should have more provinces based on Administrative expediencies.
  • Lower Courts & Election Commission under Administrative Control of National Judicial Commission: Pakistan should have Independent Judiciary. Supreme Court and High Courts should have full administrative control on lower courts including their accountability, with laid down criteria for their selection and appointment by a Judicial commission.
  • Jirgas or Punchayat: Justice is dispensed in most rural and tribal areas by Jirgas and Punchayats in more or less one third disputes and crimes. A crash program for their training and edification be launched with the help of Muftis and Ulema. For each Union Council a Mufti and Aalim be appointed to preside over Jirga or Punchayat without prejudice to the right of the accused to appeal to higher court.
  • Appointment of Election Commission should be the responsibility of Judicial Commission and accuracy of voters list be ensured./li>
  • Community Policing system should be introduced, which should be accountable to District Government, which in turn be accountable to Chief Minister of the Province and powers of Rangers and Central Intelligence Agency in assisting them should be spelled out in the constitution in depth.
  • Free & Responsible Media: Pakistan should have a freed media and their freedom and code of conduct should be laid down in the constitution.
  • Tenure of Legislative Bodies: The term of legislative bodies like National Assembly, Provincial Assembly and Senate as well as local body governments should be restricted to 4 years.
  • Stricter qualifications for (a) candidature of Legislative Body should be laid down (b) holding any administrative post such as mayor or deputy mayor in local body government or minister in Provincial or Federal Cabinet.
  • Stricter punishment for corruption, profiteering, tax evasion and thefts should be prescribed.
  • Only educated tax payers be eligible to contest election for legislative body. This condition may not apply for Union Council elections.
  • Direct Election of Senators and the President instead of election by national and provincial assemblies as is the practice in many countries.

Adult Franchise
An important question is that whether the concept of the adult franchise or universal suffrage is in accordance with the Islamic values. This needs to be settled by Ijtehad.

There are qualifications for voters in the Western democracy such as age, nationality etc.

The qualification of voters according to the Islamic values may not be materially different as the constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan was adopted after taking into account Islamic values and traditions. But a review of that appears to be advisable. Although the beggars, destitute, illiterate Muslims who do not know even the basics of Islam, deserve our sympathy and help, it is doubtful if their judgment in electing a competent representative can be relied upon specially as the experience has indicated that their votes are purchasable cheaply and easily. Moreover, according to some traditions, the opinions of persons of guilty of moral turpitude are to be ignored! Only by Ijtehad we can learn if this applies to voters and/or candidates!

No amount of charters, direct primaries, or short ballots will make a democracy out of an illiterate people. Walter Lippmann (1889–1974), U.S. journalist. A Preface to Politics, ch. 9 (1914)

Continued in Part 2