Is democracy working in Pakistan?

Is democracy working in Pakistan? A one-word response is, no. The general elections held on Feb. 8 only reinforces this widely-held view. Political uncertainty looms large. Most political parties have refused to accept election results. The election commission and the caretaker government are being derided for massive rigging. The fragmented mandate leaves no option but to have another weak coalition government which would, in all likelihood, remain mired in quotidian issues barely capable to address myriad and humongous challenges Pakistan is facing in almost all spheres of life. And then the same old blame game may begin. We may soon hear calls for fresh elections. 

The fact is that around 52 percent of Pakistani voters did not cast their vote. The 48 percent turnout may look reasonable in relative terms but the question is, why Pakistanis are by and large gradually losing their faith in the current political system? Despite all this, the political discourse in the country is still devoid of meaningful conversations aimed at addressing systemic issues. The country’s political culture remains one of fixing the blame rather than fixing the problem. 

Needless to emphasize that the existing parliamentary system is least suitable given Pakistan’s ground realities. Most political parties are being run by a few families for decades. They are rich and make no bones about even buying political loyalties to stay in power. As the role of the military establishment has also increased in political affairs over the years, these politicians also somehow co-opt them to facilitate their political ambitions. 

The parliamentary system is thus plagued by brazen horse-trading, leaving those elected as compromised and the parliament in the hands of weaklings. The august floors of the parliament are used only for fiery speeches. Bills are literally bulldozed through the National Assembly and the Senate without any serious deliberations. In the process, the parliamentary standing committees have been rendered totally ineffective. In a nutshell, should Pakistan continue with this system, it would never be able to lift itself out of the deep morass. Ordinary Pakistanis are being alienated and the youth, in particular, finds itself frustrated, for the system has grown impervious to its aspirations. 

The existing parliamentary system is least suitable given Pakistan’s ground realities. Most political parties are being run by a few families for decades. They are rich and make no bones about even buying political loyalties to stay in power.

Abdul Basit 

To overcome the malaise, it is sometimes suggested that Pakistan would be better off if it had a presidential form of government. It is argued that separating the executive from the legislature may help. A president elected directly by the people, not dependent on horse-trading in parliament, would be directly responsible to the people with far more space to deliver. However, sound this suggestion may be, there does not seem to be much appetite among the current leading politicians and mainstream parties to move in that direction. In any case, switching to another form of government may be considered as altering the very framework of the constitution. The suggestion, therefore, is a non-starter, to say the least. 

Is there a way to reform the system without fiddling with the fundamentals of the constitution? The saying that where there is a will there is a way, comes to mind. One change can help immensely, making the country’s parliament more credible, representative and effective. Why not introduce the system of proportional representation in the national and provincial assemblies as practiced, for instance, in Germany? Instead of people voting for individuals, they vote for registered political parties and then parties on the basis of their vote share accordingly nominate their members to Bundestag. A party getting less than 5 percent of the votes does not qualify to sit in parliament. The latter provision is to discourage mushrooming of small and regional parties as is the case in Pakistan. 

It is a well-known fact that first-past-the-post system (FPTPS), wherever it is being followed, leaves millions of electorates unpresented in parliament. One could always contend that if the system has been working smoothly, for instance, in Britain and India, why can it not work in Pakistan. This, at best, is a flawed argument. Since the FPTPS is inherently discriminatory in favor of a majority even by a single vote, it cannot be representative in the real sense of the word. 

In the 2019 general elections in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 37.76 percent of the total votes, winning 303 seats in the Lok Sabha. Whereas the Indian Congress party polled around 20 percent votes but could get only 52 seats. This very well explains how flawed the FPTPS is. If a better system exists, why not to go for that rather than cling to an electoral arrangement that in fact, overtime, becomes a rule by majority sans essence of democracy. 

This is not to suggest that by adopting proportional representation, Pakistan would immediately transform itself into a perfect democracy. Nevertheless, it would be a leap in the right direction where every vote would count. In parallel, many other steps would also need to be taken, especially apropos strengthening local bodies across the country. The recently held elections are a wake-up call for all those who care about democracy in Pakistan. 

– Abdul Basit is President, Margalla International Relations Institute, Islamabad. He was previously Pakistan's ambassador to Germany and Pakistan High Commissioner for India. Twitter: @abasitpak1