Political turbulence

Everybody is out to pin the blame for our political mess on the military regimes or civil rulers of the past. By simply criticising past rulers, bad governance will not be dealt with. Who will meet the cost of additional civil force to replace the armed forces in Fata and elsewhere? Why can we not improve the situation with the help of existing forces and game players? Simple acts can work miracles. We must ask a teacher to teach and a student to read. We must ask traffic wardens to man crossroads during power outages and enforce compliance toward traffic rules. We must ask the police to patrol by night and check baggages in taxis and rickshaw. Ministers must be visible in their constituencies once in a blue moon.

William A Welsh has said that “the rise of democracy has signalled the decline of elites”. Forget about golden words of thinkers like Moska, Michel, Marx, Pareto and C Wright Mill. History reminds us that no system, not even an ochlocracy, could ever bulldoze elites. About 460 related figures will continue to be perched in parliament for another hundred years. The Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal and the Englishmen ruled through hand-picked elites. The ‘equal citizen’, as enshrined in golden words of our constitution, is a myth. Even American democracy is run by a handful of people. The majority of the population is a silent spectator – a bewildered herd (Chomsky).

Amjed Jaave (Rawalpindi)