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21/10: Worth of a democracy...
Two suicide bomb blasts recently occurred at the International Islamic University campus in H-9, Islamabad. One of them was in the women campus cafeteria which resulted in loss of innocent lives and some damage to the university campus.It is a sad incident and the reprehensible acts of the terrorists should be condemned. It was a time of mourning for the losses incurred. However, as is usual, the interior minister Rehman Malik paraded in with his entourage for his usual media whoring. The students protested against his very presence and showed deep anger over the failure of the democratically elected government. A video of this incident can be seen here (highly recommended!). As a common citizen of Pakistan, I fully agree with the sentiments expressed within the video by the students and Talat Hussain, as they relate to government officials.The widening disconnect between the rulers and the ruled reflects the ever widening difference in perceptions of the aforementioned parties.
I, for one, fail to see the benefit of democracy judging by the performance of the PPP led government since the elections. This government is the epitome of leadership failure, irresponsibility, lack of political savviness and utter disregard for public sentiments and aspirations.To put it forth plain and simple, former President Musharraf's quasi-democracy era was far better than this failed democracy because ultimately, the people and the country's progress matter far more than the imposition of a supposedly better political system just for the sake of the system itself. While the Pakistani media presents a differing point of view, the Pakistani public is becoming increasingly disenfranchised with democracy as a workable system.
The question which arises is this: How long will we keep dragging this democratic wreck with us?
