An American theologian in his foreword on "Children of Light and children of Darkness" wrote, "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary". Politics within a democratic environment cannot be devoid of morality, ethics and demands of natural justice.
Men like Hitler were also into politics, but what makes people like Nelson Mandela, Jinnah and John Adams different was that their politics was based on morality and ethics. Hitler ruled Germany for many more years than Nelson Mandela, but then he is remembered only as a sick despot, a man who committed horrible murders and was obsessed by his arrogance and misguided notions of power.
Democracy is beneficial if it is a "government of laws, and not of men". President Adams (2nd President of USA) said it all in a letter to Jefferson, when he stated: "The fundamental article of my political creed is that despotism, or unlimited sovereignty, or absolute power, is the same in a majority of a popular assembly, an aristocratic council, an oligarchical junto, and a single emperor".
Zardari may have the numbers to become the President on 6 September 2008, but has he inculcated the trust and faith of the electorate that had voted PPP, led by Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the man who gave Pakistan the 1973 Constitution, which envisaged a parliamentary form of government.
ZAB, with all his human weaknesses, had a sense of history, and governed this country well. He has never been tainted of financial scandals by the worst of his enemies, of which he had quite a few. Pakistan today suffers because of insatiable greed for absolute power, with scant respect for laws, by a series of civil and military rulers, that have lived off the sweat and blood of the poor, that today comprises over 75% of the population.
Over three decades of this unfortunate country's life has been consumed by military dictators, whose sole aim was power and greed. An elitist group, who through wealth, ill-gotten by them or their ancestors, or those who were given lands for collaborating with the Raj, had acquired political power and used it to misrule this poor nation.
Pakistan, since Jinnah's untimely death, has been a victim of despots who ruled it by default, men with no vision, morality or ethics, but motivated only by greed, with no sense of history or loyalty for this nation. Pakistan was created on the basis of a democratic struggle waged by politicians, most of whom were highly committed and educated, the majority being members of legal profession. I am pained because my forefathers were amongst those who struggled for freedom.
This country is home to over 167 million people, for whom it is not just a transit stopover, a place to plunder and then walk away to live in another country. We, the people of Pakistan, have erred, by allowing ourselves to be exploited in the name of religion, or ethnic loyalties.
It is we, who can bring about a change, by using the power of the ballot to defeat the power of the bullet, coercion and threats. However, in spite of all injustices that this non-system has inflicted, yet I have faith that this country will survive. It is for the people of Pakistan to rise up and save this country.