Pakistan is a poor country. A democratic government in a poor country is a government elected by the wretched masses for making their wretched life more wretched. Electioneering being a formidably expensive affair, only members of the affluent minority can get into Parliament and become rulers. The rulers have always expressed their gratitude to their electors by making the life of their electors more miserable than ever before. The West is known for its prosperity and democracy. Unfortunately, from this circumstance, we have inferred that the western prosperity is a creation of western democracy. The inference is absolutely erroneous. The West does not owe its prosperity to its democracy. It owes its prosperity entirely to its highly advanced scientific technology. It is a law of nature that when all the stomachs in a country are always full, they cry for democracy. Thus, it is the prosperity of the West that has given birth to western democracy. We are a poor country. Yet, we are gone democratic. No wonder, the results are disastrous. There is nothing more gullible than an empty stomach. Our politicians know it, and they exploit the situation to the best of their capabilities. Extreme poverty destroys the poor mans eyesight. He cannot distinguish between a politician and a boa constrictor. Under a democracy of empty stomachs, the ruler is the law of the land. Under a democracy of full stomachs, the stomachs are the law of the land. Democracy in a poor country is an indigenous colonialism. Under such a system, the native moneyed-minority enslaves the native non-moneyed masses. The enslaving of a native by a native is more barbaric than the enslaving of a native by a non-native. Under a poor democracy, the rich represent the indigent in Parliament. Can the lion represent the sheep? If democracy is to make any sense in a poor country, the poor majority must be allotted seats in Parliament in accordance with its numbers. Likewise, the rich should be allotted seats in proportion to their numbers. If democracy means the rule of the majority, then in every poor country the poor must rule. Every poor country ruled by a rich minority is a blatant mockery of democracy. We have no right to call Pakistan a democracy. We must re-name our democracy. The only appropriate name for our democracy would be 'minocracy. We are not at all a democracy. We are out and out a 'minocracy. Perhaps, we call Pakistan a democracy to make fun of ourselves. There are two major brands of democracy. One of these brands lives in the West and the other in Pakistan. The western brand is horribly cruel to the elected rulers. The Pakistani brand is horribly cruel to the masses, who elect the rulers. The elected rulers in the West are at the mercy of their electors. The electors in a poor country are at the mercy of the rulers they elect. In other words, the voters in the West choose their servants through the ballot box. On the contrary, the voters in a poor country choose their emperors through the ballot box. Why cant we have the western brand of democracy? The western brand came into being only with the expulsion of poverty from the West. Our brand thrives only on the misery of the masses. No wonder, the major mission of our democracy seems to enrich the misery of the masses. The more miserable the masses are, the easier for the rulers to exploit them. If our democracy is anti-masses, why should we have it at all? Each age has its fashions. There was a time when tribalism was the raging political fashion. There was another time when kingship was the raging fashion. And there was still another time when imperialism was the raging fashion. In our age, democracy is the raging fashion. A woman (whether she likes it or not) must wear whatever is in fashion. We have democracy in Pakistan not because it suits us, but only because it is in fashion. A woman would cut a sorry figure, if she does not follow what is in fashion. We have democracy because we dont like to cut a sorry figure. Pakistan was not established to cater for the stomach needs of the common Pakistani. It was created to look after the spiritual needs of the citizens. The masses must be grateful to the rulers because there has never been a ban on the performance of religious rites. We are free to say our prayers. We are free to perform Haj. We are free to fast during Ramazan, etc, etc. Pakistan was meant to be a spiritual haven, not a kitchen for the masses. The writer is an academic.