Sept/16/08
WHEN the United Nations General Assembly declared September 15 as the International Day of Democracy, it maintained that its aim was to raise public awareness regarding the importance of democracy in people's lives. Member states, organizations and parliaments were to celebrate the day by using the means at their disposal to emphasize the importance of democracy, what it involves, the challenges it faces as well as the opportunities it offers. On the first Democracy Day on Monday, the only move in the direction has come from President Zardari and that too in the form of a short statement expressing the hope that the celebration of the Democracy Day would srengthen pro-democracy forces and discourage political adventurists. Unless the political leadership takes stocks of a number of negative developments that have taken place there is little hope of the expectations being fulfilled.
The parliament plays a key role in a democratic system. While peforming its legislative functions, it also serves as a forum where issues of vital national importance are debated and policy guidelines hammered out for the guidance of the government. It is time for the ruling coalition to consider if it is allowing the parliament to fulfil its duties. Seven months after the elections the National Assembly has done little besides passing the budget. The legislative activity is on hold because the standing committees remain non-functional, leaving 23 bills in a state of limbo. The committees could not be made functional simply on accont of the failure on the part of the PPP and PML-N to settle their disputes. While the PML-N has finally bid farewell to the coalition the government seems to be in no hurry to elect the chairmen of standing committees.
To be able to educate the geneal public about the true functioning of democracy, the political leaders have to act as role models. The top leaders of the two mainstream paries had told people that they had learnt from the blunders committed by them in the past and promised never to revert to pracrices which were not in consonance with democratic ideals. With the deparure of the PML-N from the coalition, partly due to the failure of the PPP to honour its promises and partly on account of the inflexible attitude of the PML-N, the 1988-99 era seems to be fast returnig. The PPP mministers in Punjab cabinet are not on speaking tetrms with the CM. There is a lot of wheeling dealing by both sides which could be a precusor to horse trading, use of govenment machinery against opponents and a recourse to no-holds-barred struggle which can destabilise the syatem. It is time the top leaders of the PPP and PML-N realise the threat to democracy being posed and take corrective measures. Unless they do, the present democratic spell might turn out to be short lived.


AT this point of time it might appear rather outlandish to imagine that the army could stage a comeback to the seat of power in Pakistan. Its track record in the four stints of the usurpation of power has been disastrous for the polity and the public is in no mood at all to stand such a situation. Yet, the warning of Mr Bruce Riedel, a US expert on South Asia, hinting at the possibility of military takeover in the eventuality of a certain scenario should give the governing leadership some food for thought and urge it to give serious attention to the people's concerns. It might be Mr Riedel's wishful thinking as the present military leadership has meticulously kept out of playing politics when he claims that the failure of the present political set-up to solve some highly debilitating problems - the deepening economic malaise and the flourishing militancy, for instance - the country is facing has the potential of creating a situation that might serve as a prelude to regenerating Bonapartist tendencies. He also cites a possible 'soft' attitude of the government to the Kashmir dispute as another factor of encouragement to the army to step in.
It is incomprehensible, though, that the government has somehow not been able to come to grips with the rising cost of living, which indeed is a most fundamental problem affecting the people in all walks of life. The satisfactory handling of this problem and insecurity holds the key to political stability and calls for urgent attention.
It is hoped that the Bush administration would pay heed to his other advice about putting pressure on the Afghan government to recognise the Durand Line that has been the frontier demarcated since 1893 between the two countries. Kabul's stand treating the line contentious has no legal justification and tends to keep the tension between the two alive. Mr Riedel, who has held important positions in previous administrations, has also called upon the US to pressurise the Indians to work towards a Kashmir solution acceptable to all sides, something that could bring peace to the Subcontinent.


THE resignation of Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has caused quite a stir. The reason is obvious, though according to his own version it was 'in the interest of smooth working of the parliament' that he stepped down. Some reports indicate that the real cause of resignation was the PPP-PML-Q patch up and the former's propensity to forge a new alliance in Punjab. Mr Elahi, according to sources, could be handed out some important portfolio at the centre while arrangements might be made in Punjab for a PML-Q led government.
Hardly anyone would have been able to imagine the present political scenario a few months back particularly the prospect of Q-league gaining political ascendancy. It now seems as if the party has become indispensable to the survival of the government. Not long ago the PML-Q for its association with former President Musharraf was thought to be the source of all trouble and came under attack from both the PPP and PML-N with the former calling it Qatil league while the latter insisting that they wouldn't even touch it with a pair of tongs. But thanks to the mutual acrimony between the two, the party is now back in the driver's seat. This might be good for the party but it is a pity to see the PPP and PML-N reverting to the politics of the 90s. This has put paid to the hope raised in the aftermath of Feb 18 elections of a new era in Pakistan's politics.


IT is disturbing to learn that despite the recent raise in power tariff by over 30 per cent that should bring down consumption, the people continue to face prolonged load shedding. The situation all over the country is bleak but worse off in Karachi where people have been gathering in crowds on the streets to protest against the persistent power outages. One cannot help but feel pity for them and lend ears to their slogans that they would not foot the bill if the supply was not made smooth. Reportedly a conductor providing electricity to some colonies has been stolen cutting off the supply. However the truth is that the government's failure to bridge the constantly widening gap between supply and demand in the mega city is indeed the element that is causing all the trouble. A team has been formed by the Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf to fix the problem but it is unlikely that the power deficiency would vanish in this manner. It is quite strange that whenever asked about some technical problem the federal minister simply explains the matter away by saying that he was just a layman. Little wonder the power crisis persists despite his statement made shortly after the elections that the plague would be done away with in a few months.

source : http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne.../Democracy-Day

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