book of aphorisms by a Pakistani lawyer

Democracy

Democracy is the best form of government, if there is a commitment of good governance in the governors and spirit of tolerance and compromise in the governed, which are inculcated by education and culture of equitable sharing. Otherwise, the best is not good enough.
It is better that revolutions should fail, so that reforms may succeed.
In countries where there are no conventions of opposition and tolerance, rule of majority is tyranny upon the oppressed minority. Such a democracy is best in form and worst in substance .
Proceed with the postulate that it is the nature of all governments to exercise power upon the individuals. Then rigorously implement measures and jealously support institutions of dignity,
justice, liberty and equality with constant vigilance, so that the evil may not break through.
Liberty is not of much use to the toiling masses but they must be made to believe in it, so that a few may utilize it for their good.
Middle class is the meddling class, which preserves democracy.
Democracy is an institution of ignorant masses in the third world countries. Even a dunce or a ruffian with tons of money or street power can and do lead them. The educated and sensitive generally shun politics and even those tempted among them have no money to contest elections. The future of democracy in the poor countries is rather bleak for a long time to come.
It takes dumb voters – dumbness being ubiquitous in Eastern democracies – to vote into power moneyed and cunning persons to rule over them, dupe them and fleece them, partly in preparation for the next elections to continue the cycle of exploitation.
Democracy is the will of the majority, but good democracy is the will of reasonable majority overseen by truly independent and generously financed institutions of good governance and settlement of disputes.
Democracy is prevalent the world over, but it is bad democracy mostly, practiced more in unequal opportunities than in merit, more in the suppression of minority rights than in upholding them, more in abuse of liberties than in acceptance of criticism and more in fanatic slogans than in mature participatory deliberation .
Democracy inducts in office those who know no induction.
Democracy is a flexible form of government, in which a discerning minority is given recurring chance to prevail upon no longer popular majority by patience and persuasion. This process takes a long time to yield desirable results. There is no short cut to democracy.
In mock democracy, the opposition is kept impotent by enticement or imprisonment. In genuine democracy, it is incorruptible and free, which is the strength of democracy .
Democracy makes unequals seem equal by one man one vote rule.
Good democracy is a meritocracy of the widespread and educated middle class set in urban comforts of society.
Democracy in autocracy is a laughable form of government.
In spurious democracies, the practice of the freedom of thought is a dangerous and expensive affair.
In democracy, all persons are equally free and freely unequal.
Freedom is a choice of not doing what is considered worth doing by the majority.
Equal opportunity will not avail before inequality of talent, confidence and hardwork.
The weak demand justice; the strong grab power. Good governance means weak power and strong justice.
Liberty has value for those who dare to think and act.
Only those who can afford are equal.
A tyrant can take away your liberty and possessions but he cannot deprive you of your contempt for him and that is the beginning of his end.
Individuality blossoms in freedom and atrophies in the tyranny of dictators or fanatics .
In democracies, contention precedes consent, but in dogmatic societies, contention is anathema and dialogue begins with consent.
In the third world countries, democracy is deception of the people, by some people, in the name of the people.
The secret of enviable success of parliamentary democracy in Great Britain is in the antiquity of the Anglo Saxon and Norman traditions of tolerance, fair play and bloodshed between the kings and parliament, peculiar to the British history.
Democracy prevails in the countries with the culture of tolerance, fair play, personal dignity, market economy and a truly independent judiciary. It can succeed only in countries with secular ideologies and not in those dominated by antiquated and fanatical creeds.
The panacea for our political malaise is a really educated class of politicians, who should not be scions of the landed gentry, coming from special colleges of politicians after four years of rigourous post-graduate training and supervised by a group of persons having unimpeachable characters with expertise in various social sciences and taking their absolute accountability both in public and private lives. They should be paid liberal emoluments from the public exchequer to raise them above temptations. Such politicians, when not in power or being unelected, should be made legally bound to work in important posts in various ministries and public corporations to familiarize them with the machinery of government and public works. These qualified persons alone should be allowed to contest elections. If not the electorate, the elected must be elitists to begin with for proactive democracy to take firm roots in Pakistan and obviate repeated incursions of martial law.
Freedom of expression means that the speaker can speak any nonsense to his heart’s content, but he should not be restrained, because he will have to stop when no one is there to listen to him. All this works fine, if the listeners are sensible.
Democracy inevitably produces unscrupulous leaders who promise, for votes, solutions of the intractable problems which require frankness and whose resolution lie in uncertain future.
Democracy hamstrung by the military puts the human rights on crutches.
In democracy, if the majority becomes mad and wants to jump in the lake, it will take the sane minority along with it.
If a society has no traditions of dignity and equality of a person, such as in a militarized country, there is no rule of law in it.
In the present pathetic state of political awareness in Pakistan, democracy is Prisoner’s Di lemma, a sordid choice between economic plunder by the political leaders or the horrendous fate of military bondage by a dictator periodically imposed with impunity .

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Rasheed A. Akhund

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