By: Abdul Shakoor Shah
Pakistan inherited chaotic political culture and later experienced oscillating undemocratic democracy. One of the early problems of Pakistan was subjugation of Parliament which resulted in a crisis in 1954. The seed sown by Judiciary through its fatal decision is still haunting democracy. The external forces never let democracy nurture in the country through their undemocratic methods. The Parliamentarians have consensus over the parliamentary system while the Military is favoring the presidential system. Both the factors have been trying to establish democracy in an undemocratic way. Country’s colonial political heritage and post independence democratic system coupled with a new sort of political culture which can be named as undemocratic democracy.
There is a new political twist in the Pakistani political culture. A new sort of political culture is being nurtured by the present ruling party PTI. It is the culture of abuses, calling names, defaming, using substandard language, launching defaming trends, making threatening signs and using objectionable words, phrases and sentences.
The founder of Pakistan could not look to some other system for the country firstly he had less time to heed over it secondly he was himself rooted down deep in British democratic system. The Military coups have tried their best to pull the country on presidential track as the 1954 constitution was reconstituted by 1962 and an undemocratic tradition was founded in the name of democracy. In the 70s another presidential system was sure but the situation did not let it dream out. Zial ul Haq and Mr. Musharif both favored the presidential system though the latter molded it in a new form of parliamentary with all power to the president.
58-2b is an undemocratic missile to be fired on democratic system. Without 58-2b the president is a dummy figure limited to attend ceremonies. The political parties have their political dictators following the heels of feudalism. They are much more undemocratic than military dictators. With the exception of few, all the political parties have undemocratic dictators in their named democratic parties. These political dictators, most of them head of the parties are the updated forms of feudalism. It is surprising to note that all dictators had run the governments with these pseudo democratic leaders. It is also ironic that the same parliamentarians supported the implementation and deletion 58-2b. Our democrats remain always for sale for political or vested interests. Such practices are undermining the political roots in the country and the politicians are responsible for it.
Masses have never come to the roads to support military rule. It was undemocratic democrats who call themselves the representatives of the people. They are more representatives of the dictators than masses. The undemocratic practices of the democrats have developed an establishment in the country which is said to be countering democracy. If the political parties are really democratic why have they chosen the undemocratic members who had been a part of the undemocratic system under military dictators? Same undemocratic characters become democratic and hold public office without shame and disgrace. These rolling stones have weakened the national political system, their respective political parties and youth politics.
The weak and undemocratic system of political parties is the mother of all maneuvering and horse-trading in the country. With the exception of a few, our political parties are breeding undemocratic culture under democratic mask. Almost all political parties have no middle layer of political leadership to connect them with the public. Heretical undemocratic elite secures votes on family or social standing rather than their democratic or community services. Mainstream parties are revolving around one family and they can never allow new political recruitment. Undemocratic father is replaced by an undemocratic son or daughter under the pseudo mask of democracy.
Political leaders have democratic mask on their undemocratic faces because they are more afraid of democracy than Covid-19. The most important factors for political stability are internal and external check and balance, effective opposition, internal democracy in political parties, party discipline and separation of powers. Free press, vibrant civic society, participatory political culture, good civic values are some of the basic checks on parliamentary governments. But it is heartening to say that these essential factors are weak in the country. We have put the cart before the horse by subjugating the judiciary under the Executive which has marred our political system. We have everything politicized and the judiciary is no exception to that rule.
The doctrine of necessity is invented by the judiciary which undermines the political system on critical occasions. Democratic have been undemocratic to the judiciary like military rulers when it is not ready to obey them. External factors have also been playing a key role in destabilizing political culture in the country. Our religious, semi religious and some non religious parties are funded by external factors like Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, USA etc. These external players have played and are still playing a vital role in our national political culture. The NRO give by Mr. Musharif was not fully a self-willing act but it was triggered by the US president. Similarly the exile and return of Mr. Nawaz Sharif was also not fully self-decisive act of Mr. Musharraf but it was jointly recommended by the Saudis. Same is the case of Pakistani Shias, they are remote-controlled by Iran. Our religious parties and Madaras are funded by Arabs, surely they use them for their political advantages favoring them in Pakistan. The political parties have mostly been parties to undemocratic forces or they have emerged undemocratically to democracy.
There is a new political twist in the Pakistani political culture. A new sort of political culture is being nurtured by the present ruling party PTI. It is the culture of abuses, calling names, defaming, using substandard language, launching defaming trends, making threatening signs and using objectionable words, phrases and sentences. The counter political linguistics from PMLN and PPP is also not up to the mark. They have invented psychological face saving and some of them face slurring chunks of language for their vested purposes. The mainstream parties and the rest of religious and regional parties and their leaders must focus on the issue of political linguistics which they are nurturing in the country and in their political culture. Ultimately they have to face the music of their creation but it is utterly fatal for youths of the country and future politics.
The writer is Prof. in English and Freelance Columnist, based in Lahore, Pakistan. He can be reached at [email protected]