The rhythm of democracy

By Shandana Khan Mohmand

ONE can only imagine how proud America must have felt as a nation on Jan 20 when its “vote for change” resulted in Obama taking office.The moment was historic for many reasons, but perhaps most so because it was a manifestation of the fact that nations can change their entire destiny, without violence and with the greatest dignity, simply by casting their vote. That, in essence, is the beauty of an election.I admire Americans for what they did on Nov 4, 2008, just as I admired Indians in May 2004 when election results in India swept the Congress back into power by condemning the BJP and its policies. One was overawed and impressed by the Indian nation and its voters. Living under military rule then, I wondered how it would feel to be a citizen of a country that had the ability to express itself so eloquently and forcefully in such a peaceful and effective manner through the ballot box.I was jealous of the Indian nation then, as I would have been of the American nation today had I not witnessed the elections of Feb 18, 2008 in Pakistan. The current government may find itself mired in inadequacy and defeated by the magnitude of the mess left behind by an eight-year military dictatorship and the euphoria of the Feb 18 election might be vanishing fast. But there are important lessons that came out of that election and that need to be remembered.First, like the Indian voters of 2004 and the American voters of 2008, the Pakistani voters too voted for change, though in a much more dramatic fashion as they were choosing not between two political parties but two systems of governance. It was also dramatic because the military ruler against whose system they were voting was still in power, and because the air was thick with the threat of violence. Yet the voters came out in greater numbers than in the last few elections, and spoke for change, an act of bravery that the failure of the subsequent government should not erase from our memory.On that day, the voters showed their appreciation for the power of politics in general, and the power it gives to them individually — in particular to determine who will rule. Those that chose to set aside both apathy and cynicism to engage in the politics of their country and braved the insecurity of the Pakistani streets, proved that they were thinking voters with expectations, who knew it was payback time through the ballot box in the case of broken dreams.The next time someone tells us that we need military rulers because we as a nation have no idea of how to handle or respect any other type of rule, we can remind them of Feb 18 when voters made it clear to the likes of Generals Ayub, Zia and Musharraf that they possessed minds that understood and appreciated politics, and that despite what the generals and those that condoned their rule might have thought, electoral politics was certainly suited to the genius of the Pakistani people.Second, through the polls the Pakistani voter asked what the point of the last eight years had been. The parties that fought one another through the elections of the 1990s emerged dominant on Feb 18 — eight years, two coups, two PCOs, one LFO, one Pemra ordinance and many constitutional amendments, witch hunts, manipulations, dismissals, exiles and arrests later. Rather than putting the house in order, the rulers of those eight years left us to contend with terrorism, insecurity, bankruptcy and a shortage of almost everything.Is there a lesson? Yes, a resounding one: that there is no point in interrupting the natural political process, at least not if helping the country is the aim. There is an organic rhythm and logic to politics that will continue to play itself out through the most inorganic, imposed attempts to change its course. There is a natural force to politics that appears to tend towards processes based on the will of the people. As soon as this will is allowed free expression, it speaks up against imposition. It happened in 1970 after the resignation of a dictator, it happened again in 1988 after the death of a dictator, and it happened yet again on Feb 18, 2008, this time most gloriously because the dictator was still alive, in power and watching.So if future, self-proclaimed ‘saviours’ are reading this, they should remember that there is only one option in terms of fixing the system of governance in this country — let politics roll and let successive elections and peaceful, dignified transitions purge unpopular, unwanted politicians.And finally, the Pakistani voter made a clear statement in favour of process and parties instead of personalities as one political bigwig after another came tumbling down that election day. This was especially visible in PML-N’s surprising victory in Punjab. The party had lost many of its bigwigs to the PML-Q in the last eight years, and until a few days before the elections analysts predicted that the road was going to be particularly rocky for the politically inexperienced candidates that the PML-N was fielding.The victory of this party against the PML-Q, along with the victory of many other political underdogs, made it clear that the Pakistani voter was thinking of issues and manifestos, not personalities and power. This is politics in its most perfect manifestation, and we in Pakistan experienced it, even if for a brief moment.President Obama assured his nation in his inaugural speech that though their challenges were daunting, they would be met. The challenges Pakistan faces are much larger than those faced by America, and the leadership far less inspiring and able, but we can rest assured that the coming of a democratically elected government is the first step in the direction of meeting these challenges.The writer is a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussexshandana@lums.edu.pk