Democracy, with tears
By Ghazi Salahuddin

It may have been democratic, but it is over now – the tenure of the elected federal and provincial governments. We have made history. But what else is there to celebrate on this occasion?

As I write these words in the forenoon on Saturday, I find it difficult to come to terms with how I feel and what I think at this time. We are totally distracted by politics. A caretaker setup is to be put in place while excitement is building up for the forthcoming elections.

At the same time, we want to assess the performance of the elected governments. Since this was the first time that they completed their term in office, they have to justify the validity of the democratic dispensation. This time, they were not interrupted.

What is truly incomprehensible is that our politicians tend to get away with all their indulgences and patently criminal indiscretions. Take the example of what the Sindh Assembly did on Friday, hours before its term was to expire. Frankly, this episode has caused so much distress that I cannot express my thoughts with equanimity. So much so that I may be persuaded to vote against democracy, if it is democracy that would excuse such deeds.

Believe it nor not, the Sindh Assembly passed four official bills that substantially increased the salaries and allowances and perks of the speaker, deputy speaker, ministers, special assistants and members with, my God, a retrospective effect – from July 1, 2011.

The provincial legislature also approved two private bills granting salaries, allowances and various privileges for life for the chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker. For life, mind it.

As I said, I have to struggle with my emotions to be able to write this piece. The news has been published on Saturday but I need to repeat at least the benefits that the chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker will receive for life. These include 70 percent salary and allowances per month, one private secretary, one orderly, one cook, one gardener and one sanitary worker.

In addition they also got lifetime police security, landline and mobile phone facility up to Rs10,000 per month.

Because of supposedly more newsworthy developments on the political front, the exploits of the Sindh Assembly were placed on city pages. In that sense, we do not even have time to seriously review the antics of the Sindh government.

It is true that members belonging to the MQM and other small opposition groups opposed these moves and staged a walkout from the house. But the democratic logic of numbers prevailed.

What can all of us do about it, with our sense of what is right and moral and even viable in the context of Sindh’s financial situation? To some extent, this is how all our elected legislatures have behaved.

At the federal level, too, massive allocations have been made during the last days of the government. In fact, the outgoing rulers seem to be motivated by an evil impulse to present the seamy side of democracy in a potentially corrupt and inefficient system.

Now, I have concentrated so far on the completion of the elected governments’ tenure. Actually, the very survival or our polity is hinged on other matters such as the overall law and order situation.

In the same city where the Sindh Assembly held its session on Friday, a very precious human being, a woman, was assassination on Wednesday. But the Sindh Assembly members were obviously not touched by the violent death of Parveen Rehman, director of the Orangi Pilot Project.

This shattering event, coming in the wake of the Abbas Town bomb blast in Karachi and the despicable attack on the houses of a Christian community in Lahore, has raised very difficult questions about what is happening to Pakistan and whether democracy itself has any relevance at this time.

It so happened that I spent nearly four hours at the Abbas Town location on Sunday last, with many friends from the civil society. The idea was to sign a peace petition and meet the survivors of the tragedy. It was, naturally, a very emotional encounter. When you have such acts of terrorism that demolish the lives of so many citizens, you wonder if anyone with any sense of responsibility is in charge.

It is instructive that the chief minister of Sindh, who will now be pampered and protected at state expense for life, did not visit Abbas Town. Nor did any other high functionary of the government. The excuse that the people were too agitated and angry is also an admission that the rulers are not loved and respected by the people. Anyhow, on the same day, this atrocity took place in Badami Bagh in Lahore.

But Parveen Rehman’s murder has added an entirely new dimension to the endless saga of violence in the country, particularly in Karachi. One has to properly understand who she was and what she was doing to realise its significance.

As the statement issued by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan underlined, she was “one of the most committed and courageous defenders of the cause of the poor and the disadvantaged this country has had”.

I am unable, in this space, to offer a proper tribute to the services that were rendered by Parveen Rehman but I will again invoke the HRCP statement to say that all those who care for freedom, justice and human rights must stand up together and “resist the monsters that were out to destroy their symbols of hope and love”.

In the midst of all this grief and loss of hope, I feel compelled to also refer to a report published on Thursday. It said that a soldier was stoned to death in the Kurram area on the charge of having an affair with a local woman. The sentence was awarded by a local jirga. It is reported that the woman was also taken into custody and the jirga ruled that she must be shot to death. Just imagine, we live in a country in some parts of which primitive passions reign and where a man can be publicly stoned to death.

So, where does all this leave Pakistan at a time when a new beginning is possible? In the first place, it should be pertinent to review the performance of democracy, in a manner of saying. It should be possible to see whether Pakistan is now a safer place than it was five years ago, or if the system is less corrupt now than it was five years ago and so on. The answers are not hard to get. One thing we do not know is whether things can really change with new elections. Let’s see.

The writer is a staff member.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail. com