It is a strange country where the second general election since the ouster of Nawaz Sharif is being billed as if it was the first, writes S.G. Jilanee
Pakistan is in uproar. Elections are about to be held. Strangely, it is not only Pakistanis who say that these elections will mark the country’s transition into democracy, even George Bush’s ‘Mother Hen,’ Condoleezza Rice has made a similar statement. Still more amazingly, they seem to write off the 2002 elections and the first ever five–year term the legislatures completed as undemocratic.
Democracy, today, is on every ‘educated’ Pakistani’s lip. Some roll it on the tongue like Kojak sucking at his lollypop. Pundits, become lyrical when they talk about democracy, counting its blessings. But, the blessings they count are found only in books; they have no relation to reality.
To enable a clearer perception about democracy, below are a few quotes from the opinion of two of the Founding Fathers of the United States whoich claims to be the standard bearer of democracy in the world, -Presidents John Adams and James Madison.
"Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide," said John Adams, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the 2nd President of the United States in a letter to John Taylor, April 15, 1814.
Elsewhere he wrote, "Democracy will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes and no man's life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure, and every one of these will soon mould itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and the execrable cruelty of one or a very few."
And here is another from James Madison, the fourth president of the United States:
"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."
How democracy is practiced in the countries that are supposed to be its cradle, can be judged from the fact that in at least ten European countries; -Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and Slovakia, it is a crime to deny or question the Holocaust. A British writer David Irving had to suffer a prison term in Austria for the crime. Yet, they are all democracies.
Another examle: When in 2000 Jorg Haider’s Freedom Party and Wolfgang Schussel’s People’s Party joined to form a Coalition government in Austria, the heads of government of the other fourteen EU members decided to cease cooperation with the Austrian government, because Haider was perceived as anti-Semitic. (not sure if this should remain in bold).
Next, in 1991 when the FIS ISF(Islamic Salvation Front) won the elections in Algeria by a thumping majority, the army stepped in. The results were cancelled and a civil war began. The army action had full support of the West and USA.
And finally, in the January 2006 elections in Palestine, when Hamas won the election, with 74 seats to the ruling-Fatah's 45, providing Hamas with the majority of seats and the ability to form a majority government on their own, the United States and its European henchmen refused to recognize Hamas.
In Uzbekistan, the U.S. and Britain lent their fullest support to Islamic Karimov despite the fact that political dissidents were boiled to death under his rule. Britain even dismissed its ambassador in Uzbekistsn, Craig Murray, because he fell out with Karimov on human rights.
Earlier, the U.S. and British governments had funded the coup in 1953 that overthrew Mohammad Mosaddeq, Iran’s Prime Minister, because he had offended Britain by nationalizing the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Shahenshah Reza Pehlavi became its blue-eyed boy. The brutal excesses of his dreaded SAVAK in suppressing all dissent was ignored. Yet, when the Shah fell and, later, died, the same America did not allow a six by two feet piece of land for his burial.
This, then, is the true face of the United States despite its tall claims about democracy. Even in Iraq, which it invaded in the name of democracy, there has been little of democracy and more of power play, installing its stooges and yes-men. It is a repeat performance of Vietnam.
In fact, the United has always been concerned with promoting its imperialist designs rather than supporting democracy. It has is not bothered about the form of government, - democracy or dictatorship so long as its interests are served. The pattern is the same from Chile, through Central America, to Pakistan.
Reverting to Pakistan, the entire blame for the long spells of military dictatorships lies squarely on America. In fact it can be accused of even contributing to the break-up of Pakistan.
As in Uzbekistan it supported Islamic Karimov in return for allowing bases for its war in Afghanistan and intelligence on Taliban, so it has always gone along with dictators in Pakistan, in return for services such as bases for spying against the USSR, joining CENTO and SEATO to contain the Soviet Union, and now the phony war on terror. Had America not lent its support to usurpers, the shape of things would have been different.
It was all in its power. From day one, the U.S. has been raising Pakistan with food and nourishment and keeping its military well-heeled. It has been not ‘friends’ but ’masers.’ One frown from the state department would have stopped Ghulam Mohammad from dismissing Khwaja Nazimuddin. The latter had in the best of democratic tradition, refused to yield to the pressure of religious fanatics who demanded that the Ahmad is be declared outside the pale of Islam. And when they became violent, he called in the army to curb them. The situation cried out for U.S. support. But, instead it connived at the event.
The U.S. could prevent Ayub Khan from staging the coup. It could force Yahya Khan to hand over power to the majority party, the Awami League, if it really supported democracy, in which case Pakistan would still have been in one piece.
America could, likewise, have prevented Zia-ul- Haq from seizing power. The repeated coups and murder of democracy were stronger grounds for sanctions. Instead, sanctions under Symington and Presser amendments were imposed to block Pakistan from acquiring nuclear capability.
When it suited its interests, America did intervene. According to New York Times, for example, it was at America’s behest that a reluctant Ghulam Ishaq Khan accepted Benazir Bhutto as prime minister.
In view of its abominable record of duplicity and selfishness, therefore, it would be utterly stupid for any Pakistani to believe that the U.S. would support and promote democracy in Pakistan after the forthcoming elections. What it will do is sniff loyalty in the different political leaders and support only the one that would toe its line. And that party shall have to work with Mr. Musharraf as president, because he is America’s ‘most allied ally’ and in Gen. Zinni’s words, their ‘man in Pakistan.’
America wants dogs, -from lapdogs to hounds. It cannot afford suffer men who would look it straight in the eye, such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela or Ahmadinejad of Iran. This is the stark truth of which political leaders contesting the elections would do well to take note
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