The dangers that years of endless exploitation, injustices, frustration and anger have built in our masses may finally burst into anarchy, causing irreparable damage to this country. This is more pronounced today than ever before as the electronic and print media has brought awareness where there was darkness. Everyone is aware that those who were involved in the organized plunder, seem to have planned a safe exit for themselves and will be catching first flight out, having already made alternate investments in foreign countries, where their assets and families are located.
What do you call a system of government, where right to represent people is given to tax evaders, habitual loan defaulters, living lives of luxury, with not even an NTN, and last but not least including individuals accused by state investigating agencies of committing thousands of murders and running organized extortion and kidnapping for ransom gangs?
Nowhere in the developed civilized world would such a system qualify to be termed as ‘democracy’, where power has been given to those who have pledged oath of allegiance to another nation, and are directly or indirectly involved in use of violence as a tool to exert political control. What this country has endured and suffered extensively is poor governance without any accountability by corrupt military adventurers and irresponsible elected governments, both involved in violations of constitution, both in letter and in spirit, and each abusing their powers derived legitimately or through brute force.
There is no doubt that Western democracies are not free from corruption, but nowhere in the world are they seen, defiantly breaking the law, refusing to pay taxes and indulging in abuse of power. No individual, once declared a tax defaulter by state revenue collection authority, has ever been allowed to contest elections, or hold any public office, paid or voluntary, by any country where democracy has taken root and is functioning as a responsible transparent system of governance.
It is a sad that ECP, in which we had high hopes, has failed to subject the candidates to a financial scrutiny, necessary for putting in place a legislature that can ensure rule of law in Pakistan, and prevent massive plunder of state exchequer and flight of capital once again.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore, April 11.