DEMOCRATIC CONTENT OF DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRATIC CONTENT OF DEMOCRACY

Learned ones in socio-political sciences, the intellectuals and the genuine political leaders of Pakistan (or for that matter almost of the majority of the world) are nearly unanimous in support of the democratic dispensation in a country. Without questioning the veracity of this unanimity it is considered only logical to firstly define and secondly ask a few questions that remain unanswered to date in this context.

A widely accepted Definition of democracy goes something like “government of the people, for the people and by the people’. In present day scenario it would be only fair in case the word ‘people’ is replaced with the word ‘voter’. Flowing from this definition are the following assumptions:-

1.      A sizably large majority of the voters gets involved in the electioneering process of creating a democratic dispensation. It can be safely mentioned that more than fifty percent is a number that can be considered appropriate in this context without any fear of contradiction from all right minded people. However it would be most fair, very logical and truly ideal if the party forming a government (at any level) enjoys the mandate of more than fifty percent voters of the electorate.

2.      It is the voters that run the government in all walks of the national life aiming at their well being at the least.

Above mentioned definition of democracy and the assumptions give way to some questions that merit serious consideration from all sane people. Here are the most pertinent ones:-

1.      Is it fair to term a system democratic that comes into being through an electioneering process wherein less than fifty percent voters have turned up to cast their votes?

2.      Is it appropriate to consider a system democratic wherein the voters are left to the mercy of those officials who are paid from the revenue generated from the taxes paid by the people?

3. How can the political parties having NO internal democracy champion the cause of democracy?

Fairness of the above assumptions and a positively loud NO to the above two questions is very hard to dismiss in any right way. These are the stark naked facts staring in to the eyes of all thinking people living in this word in general and our beloved country Pakistan in particular.