Democracy is often said to be not an end in itself, but only a means to an end. Democracy is the establishment of a polity essentially based on the concept of popular sovereignty. Likewise, popular participation in the political process of the country is also an essential ingredient of democracy. All the actions and policies of the government should be guided by this principle. Therefore, welfare and service of the people should be the main purpose of democracy. Likewise, it should also be the only yardstick for measuring the performance of a government in any democratic system.
The outgoing PPP is boasting the completion of five years democratic rule with nothing tangible and significant to show for it. Currently, the economy of the country is in a state of ‘Stagflation’- a state characterized by the high inflation rate and low economic growth at the same time. The energy crisis has become a chronic problem plunging the nation into darkness.
The government has spent all the time blaming the former president Pervez Musharraf for the present problems, at the same time, the stories of corruption plunder and loot have been surfacing one after the other. Rental Power Projects scam, NICL scam, Hajj corruption scandal, Pakistan steel Mills scam, LPG quota scam, Ephedrine case, BOP scam and OGRA scam are some cases that have been brought to the limelight by the media during the same time.
Keeping all this in view, none other but ‘dishonesty’ has essentially and obviously been the ‘best policy’ of the incumbent government, I have no idea what they plan to use as a tool to gain the trust of the nation, and they have only lost it in so many ways.
MOHSIN RAZA MALIK,
Lahore, March 23.