Politicians do not get tired of telling media again and again how much they have done for “democracy”. While some politicians proudly claim that they have spent months or years in prison for the sake of democracy, the poor are getting poorer, people are selling their children and toddlers are dying!
Politicians continue backing each other to preserve their democracy because its present form suits them. As a result, we have lost the essence of democracy, that is by the people and for the people.
According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s theory on the hierarchy of needs, the basic need that an individual has is that of food, security and shelter. However, the notion of self-respect and actualization comes towards the last stages. With that in mind and looking at our present democratic system, the very basic needs of food and shelter are not being met. So, how can the masses achieve the stages of self-respect and actualisation?
Perhaps the motto of our political parties is to keep the masses dwelled in the rat race of constant efforts to attain basic needs.
Two major parties in Pakistan under the Charter of Democracy (CoD) have made a covert pact that they will do all necessary measures to back each other so that no third force comes in a position to take reign of the government away from them.
We all know that various politicians have apparently hidden billions of dollars of corruption money but no one is willing to do anything to bring the money back. In addition, billions of rupees are spent on political supporters to keep them as political party workers.
In a recent deal that was made in the name of economic development and cooperation with China, Nawaz Sharif and his party are benefiting in addition to awarding close political associates. By doing so, they are bringing Pakistan under further financial burden. In short, these politicians are worried about themselves and their political careers rather than the poor masses.
Hundreds of poor children are dying because of malnutrition in their constituencies and instead of doing something about it, politicians are playing the blame game. The people are suffering and lack proper nutrition and healthcare and the Pakistan People Party (PPP) whose slogan is “Provision of food, clothes and shelter”, is itself not doing anything for their people. Although they have ruled Sindh for the past decades, they still have not delivered what they were elected for and these politicians are proud to have democracy....
- The reader is a Pakistani political economist based in Chicago, USA.
