Three Two Cheers For Democracy*

a typically immature rant by moi

Hear, hear.

With an absolute lack of cynicism i’d like to wish Mr Gillani and the soon to be formed government of Pakistan a memorable term in office. (Memorable for the people that is, not for them.)

Perhaps the best thing that can be said (at this stage, as he has still to prove himself worthy of the post) of Mr Gillani’s election to the office of PM is that his winning means that the other candidate, Ch. Perv. Elahi, is not First Minister (no mere silver lining, imho).

Still, the optimism (thank God there is still some vestige of it left in me, i don’t know why or how) is tinged with a sense of oh-no-here-we-go-againism. For while the freshly minted PM subsequently mentioned the release of held judges, and “vowed to take efforts for the resolution of multiple problems of people,” neither of these were his first order of business.

No. In keeping with our “feudal” modello politico, as entrenched as it ever was, il nuovo primo ministro stated as his “first job” (his very first job, mind) the passing of “a resolution for UN probe into the assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.”

Now, despite my barely disguised dislike for the excessive feudalistic tendencies that have held democracy hostage all these years, and my suspicion of the motives of members of Pakistan’s First Family, i would be the first to acknowledge the need for an independent high-level enquiry into the death of Benazir Bhutto... for many reasons. Not least of which is the need to ascertain just how many hands were involved in the shocking murder of the former chairperson-for-life and her fellow party “members” as well as innocent bystanders. In a truly democratic system, any new government would push for the same, not just one formed by the PPP. But that is, at this juncture, a mere pipe dream.

My point is that, with “the multiple problems of people” (our new PM’s words), which are multiplying geometrically and not arithmetically, should not the first job of a new PM who is, along with his colleagues, touting the restoration of democracy be the adoption of a resolution strongly and categorically calling for a comprehensive solution to said problems?

Instead it is stated almost as an afterthought.
tisk tisk tisk [sic sic sic]
[Slow shaking of head, indicating a mixture of sadness and mild horror and a questioning of his contention of vestiges of optimism]

Thus it is with a heavy heart and just a mild dose of cynicism that i call upon the nation to join me in a rousing whimpering two cheers for the restoration recitation of democracy in Pakistan.

Hip hip hoary
Hip hop houri

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* One cheer for a “resolution for UN probe into the assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto,” and another for a “resolution to apologize to the nation for hanging of Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto.”