The
constitutional package to be put forward by President Musharaf
will add the final touches to the framework upon which the October
elections will be held. Some of the main steps to be taken through
this package were disclosed by the chairman of the National
Reconstruction Bureau (NRB). Some of the proposed amendments are
quite shocking particularly when President Musharaf has been
'beating the drum' about bringing true democracy to Pakistan. Such
amendments seem to be paving the way for authoritarian and
autocratic rule. The most troubling amendment for democrats will
be the one giving Musharaf the discretion to appoint an unelected
person as the prime minister. Well on the face of it this seems to
be totally undemocratic but rather dictatorial in nature.
Furthermore Musharaf has repeatedly said that the Prime minister
will be the head of the government and not the president but this
proposed amendment seems to prove the opposite. In parliamentary
democracies such as Britain the prime minister is the party leader
who has been elected by the parliamentary party. The prime
minister together with his entire executive are all elected
members of parliament. Pakistan has also adopted this method of
selecting its prime minister during its recent democratic period.
The proposed amendment may seem to be undemocratic and contrary to
how a parliamentary system elects it's prime minister but what may
be undemocratic in Britain may be democratic across the English
Channel. The whole of the American cabinet consists of un elected
persons being appointed by the president. The president himself is
not directly elected by the American people but through an
electoral college. Thus the question which arises is that if it is
not undemocratic to have an American cabinet consisting of un
elected persons appointed by the president, who himself has not
been directly elected by the people, then what is so undemocratic
about an 'unelected' president Musharaf appointing a member of his
cabinet, the prime minister. Well the simple answer to that would
be that the American model of democracy differs to others, as its
executive and legislature are separate from one another.
Furthermore each of the western democracies follows its own model
of democracy which it deems fit for itself, thus Pakistan cannot
fit into one of those models but will have to mold into its own
democratic model. What ever that model may turn out to be one
thing is clear that the appointment of a prime minister by an
unelected president is certainly undemocratic rather dictatorial,
irrespective of the fact this practice may be adopted by America.
Musharaf seems to be implementing a model of democracy which he
considers suits Pakistan's unique history and circumstances. Every
western democracy has done the same. It is the opinion of many
that Musharaf is merely paying lip service to democracy having no
intention of implementing it. Rather, it seems that he is using
democracy to prolong, strengthen and legitimise his dictatorial
rule. It is clear that Musharaf must take steps in order to stop
the return of corrupt politicians, but the amendment allowing him
to appoint an unelected prime minister raises many suspicions.
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About
Writer:
Mr. Jawed Iqbal, is an independent writer and a
political analyst. His articles appear in printed and
electronic media of Pakistan
eMail : JAWEDS_WORLD@HOTMAIL.COM |
It seems as though that through
this amendment the government is leaving its options open in case
its desired candidate for prime minister fails to become an MNA.
Well there are several politicians said to be favourites for the
top job, and are being considered by the government. The prominent
names are that of Ijaz ul Haq, Farooq Laghari, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri
and Imran Khan. Well going by the governments policy over the last
year or so, it seems as though it is implementing a totalitarian
form of democracy by fully supporting the PML(QA) and sidelining
all other parties. Thus the PML(QA) will receive a boost by
learning that they are not to be trusted by the present regime to
be able to elect prime minister. May be the government has decided
to take this course of action after the failure of the PML(QA)
leadership to unite behind its present leader. If the PML(QA)
fails to agree upon a candidate for the prime minister slot then
the president may appoint one of the other contenders as the PM.
The regime may wish to opt for Laghari but as he comes from the
same old politicians who ruled the country in the last decade, it
may want to turn to a new face such as Imran Khan chairman PTI or
Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri chairman PAT. Well both of these are options but
it is questionable whether they will accept such a role, which
almost certainly would be that of a puppet PM. In any case Dr
Tahir-ul-Qadri has reportedly said that his party will not come to
power through the back door but through the ballot box. Imran Khan
is also unlikely to accept a role given to him but would prefer
his party to have a wider role.
Rather than taking steps which are apparently contrary to
democracy, the government should effectively use the
accountability process to keep corrupt politicians away from
public office. Instead, it seems the government is using NAB to
create the PML(QA) as a harbour for corrupt politicians who in
return guarantee their utmost allegiance to the regime. The
government needs to seriously reconsider its proposed amendments,
and put a little more trust in the Pakistani people. Between now
and the election the government should launch a campaign to
educate the Pakistani people, as education is a prerequisite to
democracy.
This
article published in;
Daily Statesman
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Musharaf's Democracy