In Defence of Benevolent Dictators

IN RE MUSHARRAF:

The chickens have come home to roost for Mr. Sharif. He arranged for bypassing Ali Kuli Khan who came from a very respectable and cultured background and would not stooped to the depths that this guy is expected to go to. This guy

has no class.

His war against the private industrial and commercial class will cause catastrophic damage to an already beleaguered nation. Organising the economic destruction of Pakistan - which in effect he is doing - is as criminal as his adventure in Kargil to which he has provided no explanation to date.

I posted the following appeal three days ago` I appeal to your (with two exceptions) sense of fair judgement to not participate in discussion here. The issues being discussed are very relevant to other boards on Chowk. Let`s discuss them there.

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Nov-23-99 7:29:39 PST Reply #: 13

Gnostics

This is /not/ a reply to mr. noor`s article.

It is a plea that in keeping with the adage that, `` your freedom ends where my nose begins``, we, who have been responding to mr. bilal M`s and Professors Mian and Nayyar`s expression of opinion -- in both pro and con -- should indicate that in this case ``freedom of expression stops where the insult to my intelligence begins``. Not that I advocate that,`Jawab-e-jahlan khamoshi basaad`, but so that prouncements such as mr noor`s are not accorded the dignity of response. They do not deserve it.

Besides, our responses will sap our energies, time and thought for which we have better uses.

My request to you is that even if you /have/ already written response to mr. noor`s inane piece, please stop. Continue with Professors Mian and Nayyar`s piece[or `He had No Choice`, which is alive and kicking!]; or, throw in the arena a thought provoking piece dealing with the future of the nation, country, both within and without its borders.

Did anyone read the recent news from Kuwait; the Emir has passed a decree that women should be allowed the right to vote, whereas the majority of elected members of the Parliament are vehemently opposing this saying ``this is not what the Kuwaiti people want ! ``

So much for benevelovent dictators vs misguided democrats; just to illustrate that the tired old western cliches are not always infallible! Anyone also remember the U.S. backed toppling of the elected fundamentalist government in Algeria in favour of a moderate military government ? Democracy is fine if it suits us!

You have mentioned that democracy is a luxury for poor nations. You have mentioned that elections are an expensive affair for Pakistan.

What matters is that the rulers should be good. One can get benevolent people like Ataturk, who modernised Turkey. One can also get people like Idi Amin and General Mobutu. How does one ensure that one gets people of the former kind and not of the latter kind?

There are no easy answers to this question. Let us hope that Pakistan gets the right answers.

In response to tariqlodi (Reply #: 52)

Dear tariqlodi:

A good commentary. However, we have a dilemma here. Should we use a process of election or a process of selection to choose our representatives? I am somewhat disappointed at the statement of Omar Asghar Khan (the way I see it). His outlook is apparently no different from that of other previous ruling elite. How much control should a federal government have in local matters? Since Musharraf has pledged true (not sham) democracy, devolution, grassroots politic, and the empowerment of common people, his regime should focus on trusting the ability of people to rule themselves. A top-down system of appointment of local administrators is basically a legacy of the colonial period. We have got a golden opportunity to abolish a number of colonial practices. If our people cannot be trusted to govern themselves even at the local level, we definitely cannot trust them to govern at the regional and national level. This suggests a kind of status quo (or pave a way for maintaining status quo). In a nutshell, Omar`s statement suggests that the present regime does not know how to implement the agenda that was identified and pledged by Musharraf in his speech. I am concerned. I personally think, Musharraf should have formed a Commission each for various major issues (such as devolution) to chalk out a plan and policy. What kind of support system does a minister like Omar have at the moment to do such a task? Does anyone know?

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

`` Mir kya Sa`ada hain, Beemar Huey Jis Key Sabab

Ussi Att`aar ke Loundey Sey Dawa Laité Hain !``

I saw the above, by Zeemax, re. nour islam article. I enjoyed it, so I am re-produing here. Ummaeed hai aap issey parrh k`r mehzooz hongé.

Tabeydar,

Y.J.T.K.N.L.G.C

I like the comment, “however rigged they might be”, how typically westernly! My contention is when the democracy is so sacred to the west and the westerlies why did they accept generals Ayub, Zia and the civilian martial law administrator Bhutto.

If it is legitimate for us, it is. We don’t need a certificate from any body. The problem is not with democracy or the people of Pakistan. It is the wolf in the sheepskin- the dictatorial mentality of Pakistani rulers:

Democratization process has started, Omar Asghar said that to his [PLEASANT] surprise he had received a number of suggestions from outside the government, especially from the representatives of civil society, that at least for the time being SELECTION rather than election process be used to induct members in the proposed local bodies, Dawn-24/11/99.

A PROCESS THAT SUITS THE DEMOCRACY LOVERS.

Pakistan has never been ruled over democratically and no government has been formed as result of the elections. Somebody mentioned 1970 elections to have been fair. Reading in the newspapers and viewing Television is believing? In 65 people viewed Indian forces in Lahore! Even if the elections were fair what happened to the results: Demoncracy not allowed practice! I hope and pray that Musharraf does not hold sham elections and referendum. The moment he does he will declare that he has sold the benevolence!

Education, if it means earning degrees, does not make a difference. One would have expected a better behaviour from the termites, who not only engulfed all the books on shelves but shelves altogether, along with nuts and bolts making their whole being a craving stomach!

tariqlodi

SameerJB: Your stated, ``. How can you expect a barely mediocre general`` Could you explain how you have concluded that Gen. Musharraf is barely mediocre in his profession. Have you reached this conclusion because he has carried out a coup, or do you think he is professionally below average as a soldier? I have collected some information about his military career, and am trying to get other people`s points of view.

MUSHARRAF

- We still have no clear idea about the trajectory this guy is going on. He could well be a Pinochet or even a Saddam Hussain of sorts - with Death Squads.

- Lot of foreign educated types in the country are really depressed that we may be in for something unprecedented - the total destruction of the Pakistani industry - a real live possibility now will precipitate the pastoralization of Pakistan.

MUSHARRAF

- We still have no clear idea about the trajectory this guy is going on. He could well be a Pinochet or even a Saddam Hussain of sorts - with Death Squads.

- Lot of foreign educated types in the country are really depressed that we may be in for something unprecedented - the total destruction of the Pakistani industry - a real live possibility now will precipitate the pastoralization of Pakistan.

In response to mcgupta # 45

There is absolutely no reason to assume that Musharraf is gonna be benevolent. Right now he is only interested in maximizing his stay in power. As a first step, he will probably hang NS on hijacking or some similar trumped up charge. How can you expect a barely mediocre general who is telling lies from the day one ( Oct. 12, 1999) to his people and the press. How can any sensible person believe that an attempt to divert a plane to Nawabshah after 7:00 PM (Pakistan time) be considered a hijacking as compared to, truely, a last unsuccessful attempt to save democratically elected government from being trampled by armed forces who were in action since 4:45 PM with their initial attempt to take over PTV failed due to the timely action of NS loyalist Brig. Javaid Malik. Their second attempt at 5:30 PM succeded in overtaking PTV and they started to encircle NS residence. Do you think under such conditions NS should be standing at Karachi Airport with garlands in his hand? Karachi`s core commander, Gen. Usmani did not need hundreds of armed soldiers if he only wanted to welcome back his boss from a routine trip abroad. This General PM is nothing but a power hungry and a liar. So forget about his name any where closer to the benevolent dictators.

Dr. Noor Ahmad says that Zia did not do corruptionand. You must be kidding. Check out the wealth of one british passport holder, Ch. Basharat Elahi who is the brother-in-law of Gen. Zia and became one of the richest man from practically zero. Zia`s son graduated from an obscure school, University of Illinois, Carbondale (definitely not Urbana-Champagne) and quickly got senior level position in a bank in the middle east and after few years left to enter politics. I wonder if he is still living off the money he saved during his job in Dubai or somewhere?

So Gupta ji, a person who did not have the exit strategy for Kargil, will not have one for Pakistan. On an XY plot, he started at zero and still at zero.

macgupta: #45: Excellent analysis. Let`s hope that is what happens. So far, at least in my opinion, things seem to be heading in that direction. I think one change that is essential is to reduce the tenure of elected govt. from 5 years to 4 or even 3 years (I believe Australia has the 3 year system). Pakistani economy seems to be able to tolerate the likes of NS and BB and their cronies, for 3 years. I suppose that is how long it takes them to dry out the state`s treasuries. They seem to get kicked out one way or the other after around 3 years. So perhaps, elections every 3 years, or 4 at the latest might be a good idea. Five years is way too long.

This article is so unbalanced that, like Sayyeda, I too question the number of patients who survive your medicine. And certainly the medicine you prescribe for Pakistan is designed to cure the disease by killing the patient.

You say: ``East Pakistan separated after a bloody civil war and democracy had produced its first casualty`` You forget that bullets spill blood, not ballots. Ballots simply bring out the truth, and the Bangladeshis (a wonderful people, I may add) I have met remain perfectly happy with being independent.

You say: ``the man (Gen. Zia) should be given credit for being able to dream of higher goals than his political successors who could only think about marauding to buy mansions overseas, or stealing to build steel factories`` What were you smoking when you wrote that? For starters, try figuring out how his son is a multimillionaire based on inheritance from a father who on paper never made more than a few thousand rupees a month.

``Can the (Pakistani) electorate make a good choice? There seems to be little evidence of this since 1971.`` You may not like their choices (e.g. the power-hungry mullahs of Pakistan are routinely trashed by the electorate, to the extent that they no longer contest elections and openly speaks about coming to power through alliance with the military). Personally, given the options available to them between candidates at the time, I think the Pakistani electorate has done a perfectly (and indeed, a surprisingly) reasonable job in casting votes since 1971 (e.g. it sent a message, never properly understood to their own misfortune by either NS or BB, when only 17% of them voted in the last elections, indicating their disgust with both of them).

You say something about ``our former colonial masters who continue to preach at us from their comfortable ivory towers``. Two lines later, we are informed by Chowk editors that ``Noor Ahmed (you) is a doctor practicing in the U.K.`` Seems to me you chose to get into that comfortable ivory tower too (no doubt after filling in entrance applications to these same colonial masters that you deride) from where you now preach that the Pakistani people are not fit to choose their representatives.

Best wishes, and go easy on your patients.

An exit strategy

Assume that General Musharraf is going to be among the best benevolent dictators that history has seen. He then must face up to the problem : no matter how good he is, his tenure will one

day end.

It is very unlikely that a country will be blessed with two

benevolent dictators in a row. Moreover, such a succession

merely postpones the problem.

So, the General has to bring back the people into the power

equation, i.e., he has to introduce democracy. But then, how

does one keep the same story of corruption and debasement of

democratic institutions from repeating itself ?

The benevolent dictator also has to do one more thing for his

country -- to voluntarily relinquish power at a moment when

he has no reason to (i.e., popularity is high, country`s condition

is good) -- that will set a vital precedent for future rulers.

In many countries -- those freed from colonialism, or those

in which communism collapsed -- democracy started from the top.

That is elections and representation at the national level was

given priority. Little attention seems to have been paid to

town or village level government. Resource control and distribution --

i.e., taxation, development priorities, development budgets, etc.

also all seem to have started from the top. This model has not

been very successful.

General Musharraf has a unique opportunity to try something

different -- to revive democracy from the grass-roots level.

Assuming that the General is able to keep Pakistan`s financial

troubles at bay and find development funds. Suppose he

distributes this to local elected bodies for development work.

The effect of this would be to develop local leadership that

does not depend on the current political class. There would

be far too many ``leaders`` for the current political class to

control.

Let us say that three years is spent on this. Then the General

announces elections for the provinces; political parties are allowed

to participate provided their office-bearers are elected. For the

first two times round, the terms in office are going to be shorter

than normal in order to shake out the system a little bit.

Then the national elections are held and in a world-wide televised

ceremony the General steps down and hands the keys of the national

government to the new Prime Minister. [ It will be televised

world-wide because such a thing has hardly ever happened. ]

-arun gupta

Has anybody read Robert Payne`s famous English book `the tortured and the damned` based on trials and tribulations of the people of Bangladesh?

This book depicts the ``cruelty and barbarity of atrocities perpetrated by Pakistani occupational forces in 1971 on innocent people`` of Bangladesh.

It is said that Payne`s work depicts a ``truthful and documented chronicle of history``.

urstruly and spreading love.
i dont think its so much about locking away
those memories..its about accomodating and
making space and taking violence as a
normal occurence. i remember going back to
pakistan to visit in the mid nineties ( haveing
lived there before) and within two weeks, i got
used to hearing the news, seeing things
happen around me and so life resumed as
normal.
i am amazed at karachites and the ways in
which they work around what is happening
there. human spirit or just desensitization to
violence...(poverty, disease, facades) take your
pick.
in a city (society, culture) where a woman can
plead the plight of the poor while munching on
a three hundred ruppee burger and in the next
breath talk about how hard it is to find good
servants ( my old one wanted a raise...just
think, you cant hire servants in less than five
hundred rupees a month anymore..hai allah),
accomodating violence should be a fuking
piece of cake.

rizvi