Posts Tagged ‘Democracy’
Indian Democracy has Many Sides: Enlightening Gideon Rachman
There is a myth that intellectual insight gains greater credence if one attempts to counter popular perception. For most scholars in this age of info boom the best way to gain visibility is to project a view that runs contrary to what the mainstream is saying. Though variety of opinion is always enriching opposition merely for the sake of it can prove injurious to serious intellectual discussions. Gideon Rachman’s recent commentary on the weaknesses and limitations of Indian democracy is one such example of intellectual opposition. All opposing views are not necessarily relevant. This is not an exercise in criticizing Gideon but enlightening him!
The Curious Case Indian Election Results
The morning of May 16, 2009 marks the high point of the Great Indian Tamasha; counting for the 15th Lok Sabha Elections gets underway. The pre-results phase is not only marked by subtle alliance making in the political circles but also by speculations among analysts and the intelligentsia. Election results in India, the largest and most diverse democracy, could even send Sherlock Holmes’s insights into a spin. But being an Indian how could I resist the temptation of putting forth my own analysis of the possible political combinations and permutations likely to gain shape by Saturday afternoon. So here is my take on 2009 General Election results. Click to continue…
The Fifth Amendment Crisis in Bangladesh
An approaching constitutional quagmire in Bangladesh has escaped international attention but threatens the Country’s political, constitutional and social order.
At the center of the domestic political upheaval is the 5th Amendment to the Constitution of Bangladesh. In April 1979 the Legislature in Bangladesh ratified the 5th Amendment which provided that all amendments, additions, modifications made in the Constitution during the period between August 15, 1975 and April 9, 1979 were valid and would not be called in question before any judicial body of the country. In simple terms all the acts and decisions of the martial law period were legalized and insulated from any judicial inquiry. The martial law administrator during this period, Zia-ur Rehman, had sought to constitutionally validate his coup in which he had usurped power from Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In August 2005 in a landmark ruling the High Court had held the 5th Amendment as illegal and unconstitutional. The Central Government, comprising of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat-i-Islami moved a petition in the Country’s Supreme Court challenging the Court ruling. The Court order was stayed and discussions on the 5th amendment rescinded to the political backburner. In early May this year the Awami League (AL) Government has cancelled the petition for staying the 2005 Court ruling thereby paving way for Constitutional chaos in the country. Click to continue…
Can Pakistan’s Public Diplomacy Get Any Better?
This is how Pakistan sought to convince the American public about its commitment in combating terrorism. The above poster was majestically placed on page 5 of the Wall Street Journal print edition on May 8, 2009. Two days after interacting with President Karzai and President Obama in the AFPAK strategy Summit, President Zardari addressed the concerns of the American public through this message. Here’s what the poster reads:
The U.S.A. and Pakistan can defeat terrorism together and bring prosperity to the Pakistani people. Pakistan is in the trenches; Pakistan is on the frontlines. Pakistan is protecting the entire civilized world. 1700 soldiers killed. 35000 civilians killed. Tens of thousands maimed. This is Pakistan’s war. This is Pakistani blood. But Pakistani should not stand alone. President Asif Ali Zardari has pledged to “wipe out the cancer of terrorism before it infects the entire planet.” The U.S.A. and the world must stand by Pakistan’s side in this decisive battle against the terrorists. The U.S. A. and Pakistan. Together in battle. Defeat is not an option.
The poster is sponsored/supported by AES Corporation, GE, Oil and Gas Development Corporation, Pakistan Electric power Company Limited, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Pakistan State Oil, PTV Global, Water and Power Development Authority.
This grand public diplomacy exercise throws up some questions:
1. Why has President Asif Ali Zardari pledged to combat terrorism? I thought Pakistan was a Parliamentary democracy where the Prime Minister represents the will of the people. This excessive emphasis of personalities rather than institutions is the most important factor impeding the growth of stable democracy in Pakistan.
2. Why is a cash-strapped country like Pakistan running half page ads in top of line U.S. dailies like the WSJ? The U.S. public will be better convinced of Pakistan’s commitment if the country’s resources are directed at acting against terrorists rather than publicizing intentions.
3. Finally, if Pakistan is protecting the entire civilized world then why is only 38% of NWFP and surrounding areas under full control of the Pakistani Government? Pakistan needs to get rid of this ‘global guardian’ psychology and combat terror more as a national survival priority rather than an international obligation.
Pakistan needs to understand that public diplomacy is an explanation for national policy, not a substitute.
Beyond the Media Limelight an Afghan Woman Fights for Justice
At a time when international media attention was focused on the incident of a young girl being flogged by the extremists in Pakistan and protests were underway against a law regulating rights of Afghan Shiite Women, a young Afghan girl was battling for justice. Her battle is not yet over and surprisingly she is pleading her case in South Asia’s most vibrant democracy – India. Will Sabra Ahmadzai get justice?
Kerry-Lugar Bill: An Opportunity for Democratic Pakistan
The Kerry-Lugar Bill, presented before the Senate yesterday, seeks to apply the Afghanistan prescription suggested in Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea to Pakistan. The very title of the book is a suggestion on the best strategy to be pursued in Afghanistan: the Western style of speeding up operations doesn’t work; slowing down and building relationships would help to achieve the desired objectives. Though slowing down is not an option in Pakistan but building relationships is a viable strategy and this is what the Kerry-Lugar Bill intends to do. In the words of John Kerry, the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (Kerry-Lugar bill) seeks to “fundamentally change America’s relationship with the people of Pakistan.”
[Photo Courtesy: Boston Globe, May 5, 2009]
The most important element of the proposed bill is the repeated reference to the ‘people of Pakistan’. U.S. commitment to the needs of Pakistani people is proposed to go beyond the fluctuating government to government relationship. The people of Pakistan cannot be punished for the inability of their Government to optimally utilize U.S. military aid to counter terrorism. The justification for reducing and conditioning military aid to Pakistan is as strong as the rationale for increasing non-military aid to the country. Click to continue…
CPN (M) - Political Induction without Democratic Orientation
The political instability in Nepal following the resignation of P.M. Dahal was a potent crisis building to explode. While the international community was occupied with concerns of Taliban in Pakistan and LTTE in Sri Lanka, Nepal was gradually inching towards a crisis situation. The developments in Nepal are a stark reminder that forces of social and political extremism cannot be hurriedly inducted into mainstream politics of South Asian countries. But the current political turmoil has come as a blessing in disguise of Nepal’s democracy. Nepal’s struggling democracy has come under a challenge from which it can emerge stronger and healthier.
P.M. Pushpa Kamal Dahal had sacked Army Chief Genereal Rookmangud Katawal following the latter’s refusal to induct 19,000 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) members into the National Army (NA). Though the Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav had reinstated General Katawal, the loss of support from coalitional partners forced P.M. Dahal to resign on March 3.
The National Army’s confrontationist postures have made the political crisis even more critical. There have been reports that the NA was even planning a soft coup if the PLA cadres were forcefully integrated with the regular Army units. Click to continue…
Popular Protests Planned in Pakistan aganist the Government’s Taliban Policy
In my recent blog post “The Pakistan Mystery Continues” I raised a few questions about the popular and official response to the Taliban’s expanding presence in the region. One of my important concerns was why are the people of Pakistan not opposing the official policy towards the Taliban? I had mentioned that the protest march in support of CJ Choudhry had demonstrated the strength of Pakistan’s civil society; similar protests against the Taliban’s growing influence could force the Government to alter the appeasement strategy.
[Photo Courtesy: CNN, December 20, 2008]
I was pleasantly surprised to realize that a peaceful protest against the official policy has been planned for April 28 at the General Post Office on Mall Street of Lahore. The citizens have planned to post letters in large numbers to the President, P.M. CJ and COAS calling for military action against the Taliban. The text of the letter is been made publicly available through various avenues including Facebook. The people are expected gather at the G.P.O. with copies of the letter meant to be posted to the various political functions as a means of voicing popular protest.
The text of the letter is as follows:
We the citizens of Pakistan are angry and dismayed at the abject capitulation of the state of Pakistan before the Taliban insurgents in Swat. With one stroke of the pen, you and the Parliament have signed away any real prospects of a stable, tolerant and progressive Pakistan as envisioned by its founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Leaving aside the merits or demerits of the so-called Nizam a Adal Regulation, we believe that any agreement signed at the point of a gun and under threats from violent extremists can never lead to a lasting and just peace. It has now become clear how naïve the government has been in thinking that the Taliban could be contained in Swat.
Since you signed the Regulation, the Taliban have stated that that they don’t intend to lay down their arms, have called into question the legitimacy of the Parliament and Supreme Court, and declared the intent to impose their own brand of violent and brutal Sharia law not only in the rest of Pakistan but across the world! This is proof positive that the real aim of the Taliban is to seize power through brutal force and intimidation. Click to continue…
The Roxana Saberi Diplomacy
The case of Roxana Saberi has dominated international news during the past week. After being arrested for purchasing a bottle of wine in January this year, Roxana Saberi has been charged for spying by Iran and sentenced for eight years imprisonment. Saberi’s fate is being viewed as determining the future course of U.S. - Iranian relations. Critics of President Obama’s goodwill policy have raised Saberi’s issue as a vindication of the previous aggressive and non-conciliatory policy vis-à-vis Iran. While President Obama is gravely concerned about the safety of Saberi, he has continued to assert the value of diplomacy in resolving the issue and the Administration has not issued any threatening statements. 
The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has personally intervened in the matter and asked the chief prosecutor to ensure that Saberi is provided with full rights to defend herself, including a fair trial. The Iranian Judiciary has been quick to respond to the President’s appeal by expressing willingness for a careful, quick and fair consideration of an appeal against the earlier court ruling. Saberi’s lawyer has twenty days to file an appeal. So the issue will dominate media headlines and official discussions in the days ahead.
Is the Saberi issue a diplomatic challenge or a diplomatic illusion? Is Saberi being used as a smokescreen by President Obama and President Ahmadinejad to initiate diplomatic measures opposed by neo-cons and hardliners in the U.S. and Iran? The unfolding of the diplomatic and political drama indicates that this contention could be possible. Click to continue…
Consultancy for Organizing Civil Protests
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article today titled “French Lessons: A Parisian Coaches Radicals in the art of Protest.”
For me the article was interesting for two specific reasons: first, consultancy is the in thing. The modern world provides endless opportunities for ‘consulting’ on every conceivable human action! Second, there are people in this age and time who aspire to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s ideal of non-violent protests. The only difference being that Gandhi did not have the vision to turn his teachings on Satyagraha into an easy to use crash course.
Xavier Renou, residing in France, is a Protest Consultant. For $67 you can attend a weekend course of Renou and learn the art of peaceful protests. And we use to think that the huge civil demonstration at the G-20 Summits or the NATO Meetings was simply the outcome of popular discontent. From the marketing of a protest drive to dealing with police action during such protests, Renou provides training for everything. Western consumer culture, Free Tibet Campaign, environmental protection, political style of French President Nicolas Sarkozy the list for Renou’s protest projects is endless. The WSJ reports that Renou recently counseled an anti-NATO protestor on phone while sitting in a Paris Café.
Renou has founded his own group Les Désobéissants or The Disobedient Ones. He has introduced the concept of guerilla protests where more focused protests replace the ineffective mass demonstrations. Renou has made used of, according to him, innovative gestures like barging into a nuclear submarine dressed as a clown or marching in a zombie’s attire in a supermarket. The global financial crisis has proved to be a blessing for Renou’s business as popular protests have gained momentum. Nevertheless, the financial benefits of the project are barely impressive and Renou hopes to get funding from such regular clients as Friends of the Earth.
Does Xavier Renou’s approach mark the beginning of a new phase of civil protests in modern democracies or is it merely one of the emerging marketable ideas which will be soon be commercialized? Is Renou’s protests for such a wide variety of issues a reflection of his genuine concerns for the cause or is he attempting to create a clientele for his business?
[Picture and Video Courtesy: Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2009]