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Priase Generals for democracy?

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

By Muhammad Hamza

The Daily Times’ editorial on August 14, titled Marching towards tyranny, again? was about MQM’s chief Altaf Hussain’s recent request to “patriot generals” to intervene against “corrupt feudal and landlord politicians”. The editorial rightly condemned Altaf Hussain for inviting martial law and derailing a flimsy, brittle, fragile, and always seemingly premature democratic process in the country, but at the same time it rushed to give credit to General Kayani for not intervening in politics and being a professional soldier, who has “no interest in politics.”

Back in the days, even Benazir Bhutto’s first government bestowed a ‘Tamgha –e Jamhooriat’ upon a General for not imposing martial law in the country. This act worried her own party members. Later on, it appeared that the general, Mirza Aslam Beg, wasn’t that professional, as he sent secret messages to the Supreme Court and tried intervening in judicial matters.

The current government presented a guard of honor to General Musharraf even after his disgraceful exit, violating constitution, persecuting political workers, provoking communal riots, butchering judiciary and molesting each and every institution of the country, and “militarization of the society”. Still the story does not end here. Once again, we hear a General being praised for not intervening.

Political leaders, from almost all political parties including the current President and Prime Minister have been repeatedly praising army for staying away from politics and not interrupting political procedures. Almost every politician starts his or her speech with saluting army for giving a chance to democracy. Many politicians concede their principle stands for mainly one reason, and that is to come in power or remain in government at any cost, but by expressing the same gesture a well reputed newspaper known for its objectivity, certainly has given a bad taste. Here’s my take on this: Praising a General for not intervening in a political process creates a definite obstruction in a political process.

Why are we so quick to condemn democratically elected governments and rush to honor the generals who repeatedly violate the constitution and imposed martial laws in the country? Why are we so fast to give our approval to those who are responsible for most of this chaos? Do we do this by purpose or we simply love to be disillusioned?
Even knowing that the mess we are in today, the plague that has infected us, not only each and every institution of the country, but every sane value, social and moral ethics of the society has been created by martial laws. Even knowing that more than 35 years of direct and remaining time indirect military rules which have systematic brutalized the society putting us at the point from where it needs decades, if not centuries to just put back the pieces of sanity. From that point on rather than starting the repair process we rush to congratulate the generals for their kindness for not molesting the nation as norm.

Why it is so praiseful for a General if he performs his duty and does not sneak in the government’s business? Why it is so admirable for a General to stay within his job description and act according to the institutional discipline? Why is that if army rescued people from flood hit areas and helped logistically in transferring fellow citizens to safe places it is a big deal, that requires a unique and sacred recognition?

Recognition, which no other institution deserves. Why the army’s institutional performance has to be transformed in a General’s reward? Army is not a personal property of any General, it is a state institution, and that is one of their jobs to provide help to other state institutions in difficult times. They receive training and exceptional resources for that. Why do they need a separate appraisal? The people of Pakistan deserve the services from a national institution in a life and death situation? The people are who provide all kind of resources to the national institutions. The nation gives them a lot, beyond its means. Why then only one institution has to be considered sacred, even more than its people? Why every second year of a seemingly non dictatorship, we become blind to see that an institution’s appreciation is fueling the desire of dictatorship?

General Kayani’s professionalism still needs to be proven. The general accepted two years extension in his service. It has been portrayed the military is the only institution in this country, which operate professionally. We have been told that it has an established system of operation, a chain of command and a line of credible, trained officers who can defend the country and perform their jobs in a strong convictional and proficient manner.
So we have to depend on only one professional soldier so far, militarily and politically. It is not unfamiliar in this country how the political governments have been influenced by military institutions.

General Musharif’s catastrophic nine years of illegal rule put army Generals in the position, where they have no choice but to stay away from power, at least for a while. Most people will agree that the military dictatorships with their suppression, incapability of governance, and incompetency to deliver always create a frustration among common people, and this is a reason for the army Generals to give an interval to democratic fillers between their dictatorships. So the generals use these breaks to rearm themselves for another attack on democracy. So being a professional soldier is not an option but an unpleasant compulsion. It is a tactic, not a principle in Generals’
rulebook. Why is this simple truth always wrongly interpreted? Non democratic elements propagate with a purpose, but what forced others to follow the same course?

It is so evident and maybe it could be a consensus that any government, of any political party, whether if it be PPP, PML-N or Q, or others would be doing the same as Gilani’s government in the current situation of the country. And this is also a reality that most politicians are corrupt, incompetent, lack in political will and without a vision. But it is also a reality that that’s all we have. This is also a reality that the people of Pakistan have a wish that there should be a leader or a government which could change the political, economic, social landscape overnight. Somebody, who can simply clear all problems away from the face of the earth. We are well aware of the fact that it is wishful
thinking which will never materialize.

We have a rich experience of failing to give a chance to a political government. We have a good deal in toppling governments before they are thrown away by those, who have a legitimate right to do so. We suffer dictatorships a lot. Let’s suffer some – broken – democracy for a while. It might be painful to be in this labor but one thing is evident.
Democracy may not have answers to the problems, but Generals do not have them either, that is obvious. Let’s not praise a general, for a change


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