Evolution Rather than Revolution by Ahmed Mughees

It has rather become a custom, a fashion to proffer quixotic solutions like a sudden political putsch, or some sort of knee-jerk change as a viable solution to otherwise extremely intricate problems occupying our national matrix.

This approach is simplistic and the result of a well-intentioned but misplaced hopefulness, a sort of self-deceptive naivety. Before making such statements what we all should ponder is whether an abrupt change is the real solution to the multifaceted problems we as a nation face. Will sudden replacement of the present setup usher in a new era of prosperity overnight? Will that become the panacea for all the ills plaguing our national fabric?

The air is filled with much talk of revolution. For saner minds, a more pragmatic assessment reveals that all idealism and yearning for a change aside, political maturity and national stability come through a prolonged and sustained democratic process. Democracies are never perfect. They will never be. But we as a nation have to show some patience and let this process evolve into a self - sustaining and self perpetuating mechanism in which the common man, in the long vistas of time, will wield real power, the power to cast his vote according to the call of his conscience at the right time.

Some media hawks and overzealous political whiz-kids, inspired by recent uprisings in the Middle East are demanding a change on the same patterns. It is juvenile to say the least. Pakistan is not Tunisia, neither is it Egypt. We have an elected government, an elected parliament, an independent media, and an active judiciary. We can air our grievances openly, we can vent our spleen without any fear, we can criticise any wrongdoing and we can take our pleas to the judiciary.

We have a lot of room to breathe, whereas in Middle Eastern countries the suffocating despotism sparked violent unrests. In those countries, long-entrenched potentates had suppressed their people so much and for so long that people had no choice but to rise up. We need not travel down the same road. It leads to mayhem and bloodshed. We already have our plate of national challenges full, we need not bring more issues on to it.  So what is the way forward? Should we keep whining and grousing?

What are our options? Our options are very much clear. Soon we will have new elections. This is going to be the second time that an elected government is going to fulfil its mandated tenure. It will go down as seminal achievement in the democratic history of Pakistan and will help the tradition of democracy in taking root.

In our quest for long-term stability, we should support this peaceful and regular process instead of standing up for some unknown, irregular and spasmodic changes. History has witnessed even vanguard revolutionaries being hoisted on their own petard by the disruptive masses.  For us the solution lies in the evolution of the democratic setup and not in some sort of revolution whose ramifications are invariably unpredictable and uncontrollable.