Indian Democracy: Neighbour’s envy, India’s pride

IN Media Monitoring | 27/11/2004

Continuing the series on the coverage of Indo-Pak relations in both countries. A Panos Project on the Hoot.

Shubha Singh

The general expectation was that the Lok Sabha elections would be a smooth passage for the National Democratic Alliance`s return to power with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister. There was a lively interest in the Pakistani media about the Indian elections. The unexpected change in government in Delhi excited widespread attention in Pakistan. Pakistan, which has been making a slow transition from military dictatorship to a democratic government, had also undergone a noisy election campaign. The electoral reversal in India led to many comparisons being made with the situation in Pakistan. Many commentators drew lessons for Pakistan from the conduct of the Indian elections, while others lamented the lack of democratic norms in Pakistan.

Jang newspaper carried a report from Islamabad by its special reporter that quoted Pakistani politicians comparing the Indian election with the situation in Pakistan. The PML(N) chairman, Raja Zafarul Haq commented that Pakistan should take a lesson from the Indian elections. During the elections, the opposition criticised the BJP policies but never targeted the government machinery, agents or used unlawful pressure he said. ARD president Javed Hashmi said that it was unfortunate that change of power in Pakistan is always

done on gunpoint.

In an article in Nawai Waqt on May 18, columnist Mushahid Hussain wrote that the Lok Sabha election results had surprised the world, but in the countries where democracy was strong, these kinds of things were usual. "The credit for this change goes to the democratic process of India. People give priority to issues rather than personality. Vajpayee`s acceptance of defeat was praiseworthy. His statement at his farewell should be appreciated in which he said that his party was defeated but India had won." According to Hussain, Pakistan must learn three lessons from India:

1. If the benefits of economic development were not reached to the common man, propaganda will not help in winning the elections

2. Fruits of the benefits of development should be shared with the common man

3. Pakistani politicians must adopt the principles and values of Indian politics, which the Indian politicians have adapted to strengthen their democracy.

The Times of India of May 23 carried a news report with the slug: Reaction from Pakistan, in which Sakina Yusuf Khan reported on the reactions in the Pakistani media. Most experts view it as a change for the better, she said. "A secular government in India is the best thing that could have happened. The smooth change of regime is something we Pakistanis look upon with envy. And the botched-up `India shining campaign has a lesson for Pakistani leaders as well — that no amount of propaganda can make the people believe that the economy is doing well unless it is actually doing well," said Friday Times editor, Najam Sethi.

According to noted columnist Ayaz Amir, the perception that the BJP government was the standard bearer for good relations with Pakistan was mistaken. "There was always an element of arrogance in its relations with Pakistan. All that the BJP government did was to first escalate tension and then revert to the December 2002 position (before the attack on Parliament), the Dawn columnist said.

Humayun Gauhar wrote wistfully in an edit page article in the Nation on May 16 about the change in government. He said, "What makes Pakistanis justifiably a little sad, and not a mite jealous, is the ease with which the election result was respected and Vajpayee ritually tendered his resignation to his President, paving the way for the new government. No massive rigging here by the incumbent, no bellyaching and bitching. Just respect for the people`s verdict. This has never happened in Pakistan because no Parliament and thus no government has finished its term; so the people have never had the chance to throw one out. The crucial difference between Pakistani politicians and Indian politicians is that our politicians do not know the limits beyond which they cannot go. The Indians do. Whether in office or in opposition, Indian politicians have never gone so far as to destroy the very edifice in which their political system resides. Ours always do, perennially."

On the oped page, the same day, Ikram Ullah wrote on the new face of secular India:

"The fundamental law which manifested in the 14th Indian elections, in contrast to Pakistan, was that the real and ultimate power to chose leadership lies with the dumb millions… Pakistan has seldom witnessed a peaceful and democratic transfer of power as demonstrated by the Indian elections. The foremost lesson of the recent Indian elections is that the will of the people finally prevails. The election results have given India the title of the largest democracy in the world, where the system has stood the test of time. In spite of being a deeply divided multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-lingual society, the Indian leadership has managed in spite of many irritants, to maintain national unity and consensus on national issues, resolving controversial issues and disputes without toppling the apple-cart. In a region torn with internal strife, caste system, sectarianism and religious prejudices, erupting in ugly situations, the verdict of the people has rejected the concept of Akhand Bharat, but instead voted the Congress to power, which has upheld the concept of secular India."

Two days later, Mushahid Hussain in the same newspaper said that there are some lessons for Pakistan from the Indian elections. Economic indications, however stablising for the state, unless they filter down to the common man, are not a winning electoral factor. Second, since policies should be resilient, these ought to be linked to states and not to individual leaders and governments, which are temporary. Third, the strength of a state emanates from its institutions that can outlast individuals. Pakistani political forces would do well to imbibe this fundamental lesson from India`s resilient democracy.

Aside from the comments on democratic functioning in India, there was also a sense of marveling at the socio-political system that allowed a refugee from Pakistan to make his way to the top position in the country. In Nation of May 31, Hasan Masud pointed out that Indian system has made it possible for people from humble backgrounds to rise to the top of the political pyramids. Born on the Pakistani side of Punjab, Manmohan Singh belonged to a low middleclass peasant family. "We in Pakistan see politics as the domain of the rich, or the `feudal lords` as we like to call our filthy rich. Thus politics has inextricably been linked with land acquisition in Pakistan."

The letters to the editor column of the Dawn newspaper displayed the general public`s reactions to the Indian election. Zafarullah Poshni of Karachi praised the conduct of elections and subsequent change of government in India in his letter to the editor. He said, "Maybe there is a lesson in it for the people of our country from all facets of life, especially feuding politicians, conniving bureaucrats and power-hungry brass hats ruling the roost." Saima Bashir Baryar of Lahore wrote that the elections in India indicated "the democratic spirit prevailing in that country, and establishes an example of tolerance vital for the strength and sustainability of the democratic process. The reverse is the attitude of politicians in our country." The recent by-elections in Sindh reverberated with allegations of rigging, she pointed out.

Siddique Malik of Louisville, USA said, "India has proved that democracy is a precursor to economic stability and an educated society, not the other way round. India`s success in the field of economy and education is remarkable too. What do those, not just Pakistan, but throughout the Third World who use the excuse of poverty and a low rate of education in justifying a non-democratic system have to

say now?"

The wide coverage of the Indian election provided the Pakistani readers a view of democracy at work at close quarters. The surprising electoral upset and the smooth change of government was a novel experience for Pakistani readers. There was an added interest as the Indian election verdict was seen as having an immediate connection with the peace process between the two countries.