The Entire World Watches

 

The elections are a time of great scrutiny for any country. These days Pakistan is under a microscope on various levels. The Election Commission of Pakistan scrutinizes the political parties and their candidates, The political parties in turn, incessantly scrutinize the opposing candidates, the public scrutinizes the candidates and their manifestos, the media scrutinizes every aspect of the elections in order to finds a good story and the whole world carefully scrutinizes the transparency and legitimacy of the entire electoral process of the country where the elections are being held.

Pakistan has always been under the watchful eye of the world for numerous reasons; her resources, being the first Muslim state with a nuclear weapon, the political tug-of-war, democracy & dictatorship, terrorism and extremism to name just a few. This incessant global attention stems from the strategic role that Pakistan has played in the history and will continue to do so. In a country that already gets enough attention as it is, the acts of electoral violence will bring out worse yet into the spotlight. This harsh reality of our political situation can really put a question mark on the credibility of the elections and the elected government. These elections are suppose to be about giving every man the right to choose his leader in peace.

If one were to look into the reasons behind the electoral violence only two answers come to light; one: some contestants are willing to do anything to win, by hook or by crook. more often than not, in Pakistan it ends up being crook or in this case violence. and the second: there are forces working against this country who don’t want a change in the status quo of Pakistan.   

Then we look at the two types of electoral violence. One form is when militant and extremist groups use violence to deter the public from showing up to vote at all. The other form is when workers and supporters of one political party use violence against workers and supporters of other parties. Of the two, the latter is the worse from because in this case the victims are the innocent people with hope in their eyes. The criminals here are these people who plan to come into power through rigging these elections. If they cannot respect the essence of democracy when they truly need the votes, they will surely disregard the very idea of democracy when elected and sitting in parliament. While little can be done about the militants and extremists before the elections, the supporters of the political parties could certainly refrain from their unethical attempts to strip people of their right to vote.  

Nothing positive can ever be achieved through violence. Lives are lost, families ruined, the infrastructure greatly damage, the financial losses incurred, the youth scarred and hope lost but this isn’t even the worst part. The worst thing of all is that no one raises their voice against it, just sit by and watch it happen, hoping that it would end on its own or someone else would do something about it. Their silence makes them a part of the wrong, their inaction accentuates it further.

As Pakistanis, our actions have great repercussions on how the world views us. The world will always keep a sharp eye on Pakistan, hence, it is important to put our best foot forward in face of the external entities and minimize the opportunity for them to believe of us as terrorists.

Vote Not For Sale

Voting, as a part of the democratic process, requires individuals to fulfill a right that is given to them to elect leaders who best represent them. This participatory form of government allows citizens to determine the future of their country. The power of the vote means that whatever course individuals finds best for a country is selected and this in turn determines the future of that nation. This very fact means that the vote that individuals carry is very important and that it should be treated with an equal regard but as long as the democratic process has existed, as long as one man’s voice has been given such importance, selfish interests have always assailed this right, undermining its honest and ideal consequences.

Such acts intend to diminish the value of voting, robbing people of their rights and corrupting a process that is meant to grant equality to all. In particular vote rigging and selling one’s vote especially undermine the democratic process and this very act has regrettably become quite widespread.

As a form of election fraud, vote selling and vote buying has been noted to occur one way or another in elections around the world. Numerous scholarly, journalistic and governmental reports have been written on the subject, highlighting the continuing scourge of vote selling and buying. In essence the act involves those who are running office offering money, favors or appointments in return for votes, regardless of the fact that whether the seller actually supports the candidate or not. Vast amount of money is often spent on gaining these illegal votes which not only undermines democracy but also negates the votes of those who vote honestly.

This phenomenon has been seen to happen in almost every country, with only the level of sophistication being different. In Pakistan, with the 2013 elections looming weeks away, electoral fraud is a spectre that may dog these upcoming elections but it is for the individual voters themselves to understand the importance of their own vote and realize that their votes do not have a price.

Media reports and word of mouth have often recounted stories of politicians and candidates paying off scores of voters in their constituencies, in effect bribing them to vote in their favour. of course what is often most alarming is that these votes are often bought quite cheaply, with people willing to sell their responsibility and duty for a motorcycle, or in other examples, a couple of thousands of rupees.

Of course it is difficult to stop or prevent such a practice because such deals are often made under the table but it is very importance for individuals to know that this right to vote that they possess is not something that comes with a price tag; it is far too important a matter to reduce to a simple monetary transaction. Each vote has profound implications on the country and regard it with such disdain, means that the country and its future matter very little to them but this ‘personal’ attitude has effects on us all.

“I will be heard”

The very idea of a democracy is that it is meant to be representative of the people. The basic principles behind a democratic system of government is that the populace, the citizenry, the man on the street is to be represented as it is from among their ranks that their representatives are chosen and they are meant to represent the citizen’s best interest. In the words of a famous leader, government and by extension the entire democratic system is meant to be ‘for the people, of the people, by the people.’  This phrase perfectly encapsulates what a democracy is about. It is at first about a nation, a people and then about an individual, a person.

Of course democracies are about individuals and each individual has certain basic rights that such a type of government is meant to uphold. When we speak of representative governance, it is implied that the government represents a certain school of thought, a certain ideal. Of course these ideals are not those of a political party but those of individuals. Each individual has certain beliefs, certain ideals and these are meant to be reflected in the type of leaders and governments that they choose. Of course under a democracy, the electoral process often gives one political party precedence over another. This means that one point of view may be dominant over another. Of course this is the system but here a very important point is raised about the nature and quality of a democracy and that is, allowing for all points of views to be shared. Even if one political party is in government, democracies must allow for all opinions, even if they belong to the opposition or indeed a lone individual, to be heard. This is a fundamental right.

Under the Constitution of Pakistan, listed under the Fundamental Rights of a citizen, is the right to the freedom of speech and expression. This entails that all individuals, regardless of their caste, their colour, their creed or political affiliations, has the right to express themselves fully and by this token, to be heard as well. This is what democracies are all about. Even if an individual may disagree with the government, the government must still listen to their opinion for that is the basis of a democracy, that everyone is represented.

Of course in the time of elections, as Pakistan is due to be, come May 11, the need to ensure this right to the citizens of this country has never been greater. While different people may be represented by different political parties or choose to remain apolitical, each and every one of them has the right to express whatever opinion they may hold and in turn whichever political party comes to power must listen to them and if a valid point, must take into account.

It is often brought to light that while a democracy, the people’s voice, their issues, their problems and even their thoughts and opinions fall on deaf ears, with no action taken and no regard given. It is such instances that undermine a democracy and act counter to its very principles. Enshrined in the constitution, every citizen is given the right to express themselves and the government is duty bound to listen to them. This right is something that citizens should not take lightly nor believe is at the discretion of the government; it is theirs and every citizen must exercise it.

You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against

Siding with any faction, any group, and any political party implies that not only does said group represent you but that also they represent you for a reason. Bestowing, for it is an honour, the right to be represented upon somebody else is quite an undertaking and responsibility for both parties because this means that individuals are resting their voice with a representative or leader and the representatives themselves earning this right and safe guarding it. Of course, such a relationship between people and their representatives as above may appear idyllic, and it is, and in real world terms, the relationship is often converse, with people aligning to a certain school of thought, a certain leadership, a certain political group to represent them.

But before this can be done, the responsibility of establishing such a relationship falls upon the individual to learn and understand just what they and their parties are all about.

In democracies all over the world, the right to information and access is a given and states are often created formed around the concepts of perestroika and glasnost, of openness and transparency so that the citizenry may be able to know all that there is about their government and indeed all that there is to know about those that represent them. This is why during elections in all the major democracies, the party line, their policies, their beliefs are often given in explicit detail to inform those that are going to vote for them about their political views and stance to see if this suits them best.

Of course if such information is available, it is the responsibility of individuals to seek out this information, to study it and at the end, determine if the political party they are affiliated with truly represents them. Elections in the United States for example, often entail an abundance of ways by which the public is informed about political parties from manifestos, to TV spots to televised debates. Each instance is meant to provide the public with enough information so that they can make an informed decision come Election Day.

With the upcoming 2013 elections in Pakistan, the need for the general populace to truly understand their candidates and their political parties has never been greater. While established political parties are contending amongst each other, this election sees a new entrants which the former players will have to contend with for the first time. In such an event, the status quo has been challenged, and such a near-bipartisan system has been overturned to presents voters with new options. Voters, who in the past would ordinarily vote for a certain party out of a sense of loyalty or familial reasons, not knowing what exactly their party stood for will now have to rethink the way they approach the election and their vote.

Preference for any political party remains an individual’s choice but it is this choice that must be unassailable; the voter’s must know what their respective parties stand for and whether or not this is in line with their own thinking. If this is not the case, the vote that they may give is done so in ignorance and for voters to act in such way is an injustice to not only themselves but to others.

Every Vote Counts

During any major elections, like the 2012 US Presidential race, campaigning often goes down to the wire, with the Presidential candidates jetting across the United States to meet potential voters and convince them to vote in their favour. It is an arduous, near impossible task, every candidate, be they running for a local council, Congress or even the White House knows that trying to squeeze in a couple of hundred of extra votes on election day may make the difference, even though on paper perhaps, dozens of votes may seem insignificant.

Of course they aren’t and be it those very presidential candidates glad-handing and kissing babies on the last day of their campaigns or a couple of teenagers running for their college prefect, the importance of a vote, that is a singular, lone vote is not lost upon anybody. And neither should it be on you.

As the key to the democratic system, voting represents a right of self-determination, a right of autonomy, a right given to all to help them determine their own futures and of course that of their nation’s as well. Voting steers the course of a nation’s future and while regarded as some collective act, voting, at the end of the day, is entirely personal, entirely individual.

This very fact is known quite well to those who are after your vote, the politicians, the senators, the members of parliament, all know that every single last vote counts and thus, until the very end, they are pounding the pavement, on the hunt for even that vote that may determine their success.

This alone means that every individual holds the power within themselves to determine what their future and their country’s future will be, it is a fait accompli. But increasingly it has been noticed that individuals have grown increasingly unaware of this power they possess, even going so far as to forego this right.

With elections nigh upon Pakistan, with only weeks left to go, campaigning has picked up and every speech, every poster, every banner is meant to speak to the masses, it is meant to speak to the individual.

But media coverage of the run up to the 2013 elections has shown that there is an increasing trend among many Pakistani voters to simply refuse to vote. This, justifiably has been borne from previous elections where various instances of election fraud have left citizens disgruntled and disillusioned, but to simply refuse to vote shows an antipathy to the future, even their own.

Not voting demonstrates helplessness, almost showing that the people are resigned to their fate. Of course some may argue that they do not feel that any of the political parties represent them and to this, and quite fittingly, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) this time decided to enter an extra option on the ballot papers, that is the ‘None of the Above’ option, which allows voters to abstain from voting but still make sure their voices are heard.

Even in this, citizens can show that their voice matters, that even a single abstention, if they decide to do so, will be registered and heard.

Happy Independence Day – ( Be You – Be Pakistan )