Democratic and participatory governance are the popular political
notions in today’s world. Everybody seems to
advocate this. But it is important to have a look, what does it mean?
Is it feasible form of government? What are the prerequisites of this system to
be flourished in the Pakistani society and how does it link with the culture and religion?
Democracy is a form of government in which the people govern themselves or
elect representatives to govern them.
It is the government of the people, by
the people and for the people. It is also defined as a form of government in
which the ruling power of a state is largely vested not in any particular class,
but in the member of the community as a whole.
The
word "democracy," a Greek word in origin is composed of “demo” (people) and “Kratos” (rule), meaning rule of the
people. As a form of government, it means
the rule of the many and as a form of representative government it denotes the
rule of the majority.
It was started in the city states of Greece. A lame
tradition of democracy was also practiced in Rome, where it got mixed up with
Emperorship and had a zigzag course. However, in Europe worst authoritarian
rule remained entrenched till the French revolution
where the theory of Divine Rights of Kings was propounded. It developed after
the 18th century primarily in England and in France, but naturally under the different
cultural backgrounds. Democracy as is now practiced evolved in England and the
British parliament is called the mother of all parliaments.
The
word democracy was used in the English language in the sixteen century from the
French democratie. As far as Muslim literature is concerned, the term jumhariyat was
first used in the Turkish language in the eighteenth century and was derived
from the Arabic word jamhur, meaning people, assembly or collection
of people. This term was used with the reference to the French Republic.
Under the western
concept, democracy refers to a
form of government in which, in contradistinction to aristocracy, monarchy,
dictatorship or authoritarian rule, the people are regarded as the real source
of power and modes of governance in term of the source of values, principles,
ideals and policies. People enjoy the right to rule and to whom those in
authority are accountable. In this sense, it indicates a set of ideals and
principles, a political system, a mechanism for governance and a politico-legal
culture. However, the Islamic concept of democracy or a political system is based
on the principle of the sovereignty of Allah and the supremacy of the Shari’ah. The
legitimacy of the system comes from the loyalty and obedience to Allah and
commitment to follow and establish the Shari’ah. The Quran is very explicit on this point:
Verily His is the Creation and His is the Law.
The Authority rests was none but Allah. He commends you not to surrender to
anyone save Him. This is the Right Way (of life) (Al-Quran).
It means Allah Almighty is the only authority in the Muslim
democratic system. In contrast, people are the real source of all powers and
decisions in the western concept of democracy. However, the common denominator of all forms of democracy is
the rule of people and elections. Now the question is what the prerequisites of
democracy are?
Fair and free
elections, the principle of equal citizenship irrespective of religion, caste,
ethnicity and regional background, equality of opportunities to all for
advancement in social, economic and political domains and security of life and
property of citizens are the key features of democracy. Yet, it lacks substance
unless the electoral process is coupled with the supremacy of the constitution,
the rule of law, and civil and political rights and freedoms for the people.
But the issue is how much these features are present in the Pakistani society
where everybody from the ruling class is crying to adopt this system. If they
are in contradictory, what form of democracy is practiced in Pakistan?
Different types of democracies
prevail in Pakistan at different times. The 1973 constitution of Pakistan
supports a Parliamentary form of Government, but the constitutions of 1962 and
1956 have Presidential forms of Government. Quaid-e-Azam, the founder of
Pakistan ardently supported and emphasized for a democratic system of the
polity of Pakistan in these words.
The
constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly. I do not know what the ultimate shape of the constitution is going to
be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type, embodying the essential
principles of Islam (February 1948).
Pakistan is established for the
betterment of the people living in it. People will themselves select their
leaders whose responsibility is to fulfill the needs of the people and work day
and night for this motherland.
Pakistan has been in
quest for stable democratic system from its very inception. But, it is a
misfortune that the political system of Pakistan is characterized by
intermittent breakdown of the constitution and political order, weak and
non-viable political institutions and processes, rapid expansion of the role of
the military-bureaucratic elite, military rule and military dominated civilian
governments and authoritarian and narrow-based power management. Pakistan’s
political history can be divided into different phases with reference to the
dominant style of governance and political management:
1 1:Civilian
political government: August 1947-October 1958 December 1971-July 1977 2.
2: Direct Military Rule: October 1958-June 1962 March 1969-December1971 July 1977- December 1985 October 1999-November 2002.
3: Selective use of Democracy by the Military (Post-military rule) June 1962-March 1969 March 1985-November 1988.
2: Direct Military Rule: October 1958-June 1962 March 1969-December1971 July 1977- December 1985 October 1999-November 2002.
3: Selective use of Democracy by the Military (Post-military rule) June 1962-March 1969 March 1985-November 1988.
4: Military’s
influence from the sidelines on policy making under civilian governments December 1988-October 1999.
5: Military’s
direct involvement in power management after the end of military rule; constitutional and legal role for the military November 2002- 2008.
6: Civilian
political government: Feb 2008-2013 and from May 2013 up till now.
The major features of
the Pakistani polity show serious problems of democracy. Key factors of poor democracy
and participatory governance are the crisis of leadership in the aftermath of
the demise of Jinnah, failure of the Muslim League to transform itself from a
nationalist movement to a national party, fragmentation and degeneration of the
political forces, the rise of the bureaucratic-military elite, intermittent
constitutional and political breakdown and the ascendancy of the military to
power and the efforts of the top brass of the military to introduce a political
system to protect their professional and corporate interests. This scenario
made it difficult to create participatory political institutions and processes
that could command the voluntary support of the diversified political
interests. The military elite employed the democratic principles in a selective
manner and their policy of co-operation of a selection of the political leaders
and exclusion of others accentuated polarization and jeopardized the prospects
of political accommodation and consensus-building. Therefore, there is great
need to develop favorable conditions to make possible this system of government
by sacrificing the personal interests at the altar of collective interests to
make this country a democratic one.
To sum up, it may be
safely concluded that democracy is one of the best system of government for
Pakistan by combining it with the Islamic principles envisioned the founder of
Pakistan to make it a welfare state. But, there is great need to develop strong
traditions of the separation of power to keep all institutions work within their
constitutional and institutional limits. Moreover, political forces need to
join hands for strengthening the democratic process by providing basic rights
and facilities to the masses and offering them equal and fair opportunity to
enter the political mainstream and compete for power and influence. This helps
to build support for the political institutions and facilitates their
sustainability.
Bibliography
Ahmad, K. (2007). Islam and democracy: Some conceptual
and contemporary dimensions,. The
Muslim World, 90(1-2),
1-21. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2000.tb03679.x
Khosrow-Shahi, S. H. (2008). Relationship between
Democracy and Islamic Government. Iran
Review. Retrieved from
http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Relationship_between_Democracy_and_Islamic_Government.htm
Rizvi, H. A. (n.d.). Democracy in Pakistan. Lokniti (Programme of Comparative
Democracy), Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. Retrieved
from http://www.democracy-asia.org/qa/pakistan/Hasan%20Askari.pdf
