Let this system run because in time it’ll purify itself. It will evolve. Just be patient. I’m sure many have been hearing these phrases paraphrased ad nauseum on TV and in print. Some In drawing rooms also parroting these lines whenever some one dares criticise a Panama leaked or Swiss case - NRO’d boss of a group of their loyalists. Look at the west. No army interrupted their democratic journey and now look at how great they are. History is a funny thing. It’s not like our modern TV. Certainly not like our 140 word limit tweets. It can be written by victors but it still can’t entirely be hidden nor distorted with due respect to the best efforts of our Pak Studies historians. Sure some evolutionists will clutch at straws when confronted and count down a bunch of self serving cosmetic measures carried out but heres the bottom line.

Systems are designed for specific outcomes. Outcomes evolve thus demanding an evolution in systems. And those systems that adapt survive thus forming the basis of evolution.

UK the mother of parliamentary democracy got onto this path because the English nobility didn’t want to be taxed excessively by the King and secondly didn’t want their taxes to be spent without oversight. These 2 basic points were the bedrock of the formation and evolution of the magna Carta for almost 5 centuries before becoming institutionalised. This system was not uninterrupted as many a times the status quo (monarch) gained the upper hand but with time as more and more people desired the same outcome as the original rebel nobels this system evolved to take stock of that.

The American republic was formed on a similar principle. No taxation without representation. Once the country was formed their democratic journey was one of upheaval and struggle. Their union only getting a firm setting after a long and extremely bloody civil war. I’m sure many voices were raised back then as well warning Lincoln of not touching this subject of slavery lest the union break apart. Sounds familiar to our putting national issues on the back burner as our federation can always be in danger due to our politics. Lincoln didn’t listen to those who said let things stand and in time with continuity things would become better. He took a stand and risked it all.

What about France which saw a bloody and turbulent revolution overthrowing the monarchy? Again the main issue was about how taxes were being raised and being wasted on grand projects and expensive, unending wars. What followed the revolution was not one uninterrupted journey leading to evolutionary bliss. In fact the current French system is called the 5th republic meaning the 5th try at getting a workable system since the revolution.

The point behind these examples is simple. Democracy (and most certainly holding of elections) is not the end outcome for nation states. It evolved over time to become the best possible means to an end, the best possible system to ensure the best chance at success of achieving a good outcome for a nation state. What’s this outcome in this day and age? In a nutshell a peaceful, economically prosperous, strong and tolerant nation with rule of law and merit reigning supreme.

Our current system doesn’t have the capacity or interest to deliver the desired outcomes. Why? Because its not representative. It’s captured by an elite. It’s not accountable. It lacks ownership as the ruling elite evades taxes and builds off shores while those being taxed look on helplessly with zero safety nests. In short our current system is an oligarchy.

Oligarchies and monopolies have had to be broken through legislation and govt action. From standard oil to Microsoft and Google. Those expecting an oligarchy to become more competitive and responsive if given time are defying history, psychology, political science, economy and any other relevant social science. It makes for cute rhetoric and that’s it. Pakistan needs an emergency charter on the following, one it’s politics, two it’s water, third it’s economy and fourth it’s extremism. The latter three are connected to the first. Fix our politics, fix the nation. Fix the oligarchy, you fix your politics. The off shore oligarchs won’t fix it. Their children won’t fix it. Their lackeys and apologists won’t fix it. Back benchers in Parliament could fix this like those on England did all those centuries ago. A revolution like the French could do it but given the state of our society I doubt we would have a revolution leading to betterment.

State institutions not interested in power and personal ambitions could do it through constant pressure but the real pressure needs to come from the intelligentsia and civil society. It has to come from the tax payers. Tax payers who don’t get security on the streets, a quality education in the schools, a decent health care in the hospitals. Tax payers who have no say in whether a $2bn orange line should be built or maybe have 5 orange lines in the same amount. Until and unless these taxpayers and the intelligentsia stop making absurd and unfounded defense for the off shore oligarchs rest assured the Cheshire smiles of these oligarchs will continue into posterity. So write, blog, tweet and ignore the cyber bill. Come out on the streets, stage sit ins, do dharnas what have you. Constantly demand more and don’t settle for this status quo. And don’t for a second be fooled by the oligarchs and their apologists that this is a democracy and patience will get us there.

The apologist will try to smear you as an elitist or a non democrat. Just show them the mirror because it’s the apologist who’s protecting the interests of a narrow offshore elite. It’s the apologist who’s destroying the very concept of democracy by promoting and defending such an illiberal democratic system.

This is not a democracy and this oligarchy will never get us our desired outcomes in the next 100 years. So push and push till this oligarchy breaks and the system can finally open up so that we can truly be on the road to achieving the outcome the citizens of this nation deserve that is unless you actually believe holding of periodic elections was always the only desired outcome.