EDITORIAL: How ironic that the country is tumbling from one political-constitutional crisis to another in the year that marks the golden jubilee of the 1973 constitution.
Parliamentarians, cheering as they kicked off celebrations in the house of the federation, seemed blissfully ignorant of the rather obvious reality that it is primarily the failure of top politicians and other constitutional/state stakeholders to protect and serve that sacred document with the result that all leading institutions have all but been stripped of their legitimacy.
Rather than wax eloquent about some imagined benefits that democracy has delivered us, they should have used the seriousness of this moment to debate just why the most important constitutional matters are now settled in court instead of parliament. And why the judiciary, that always readily stepped in and legitimised all previous assaults on the constitution, must now be trusted with interpreting its finer points as the zero-sum fight for power among the political elite pushes us into uncharted political-constitutional territory.
Surely, the makers of the constitution did not foresee such a breakdown. But that’s because they would never have imagined a situation where the politicians’ own irresponsibility, especially their naked lust for power and complete and utter disregard for others, would diminish parliament’s standing. Even as legislators took turns to sing praises of the constitution and representative government in this Islamic republic, the ugly tug of war between the ruling coalition and PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) was degenerating into the worst street confrontation between security forces and an opposition party in living memory.
It would be much better if top politicians and all important institutions, especially the military and judiciary, use this anniversary to reflect on the many reasons for the country’s present state of paralysis and to press the reset button. Already, we are at the stage where it would take a miracle to avoid default and outright economic collapse — complete with record unemployment and highest-ever inflation — and TTP’s (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s) resurgence has been established and it’s only a matter of time before the military is forced into more operations like a decade ago.
And, while the constitution does not exactly spell out what to do when confronted with sovereign default, or the sequence of steps to take to crush an insurgency, it does provide the valuable framework that enables the political leadership to sit together and hammer out adequate responses. And the fact that those leaders are just too busy tearing each other down, even when the country and the people face existential threats, is an insult to the spirit of the constitution and deserves far more urgent, and serious, debate than rosy speeches about what we might have gained by making numerous sacrifices for democracy in our country.
There is no doubt that the constitution dictates the way forward in all circumstances and it must be upheld at all times. But it is equally true, as we have come to understand, that its significance is often diluted when parliament is made dysfunctional by the very people that swear an oath to protect the house and the constitution. Many of our most pressing problems would not even have existed if politicians had displayed the maturity expected of them.
And half of them would still go away if they bowed before the constitution and put the country’s, and the people’s, interests ahead of their own. How quickly this particular lot understands this reality will decide how soon, and how effectively, we will be able to solve the many problems we face. And how quickly can we begin appreciating and following the constitution in letter and spirit?
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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