Democracy is a Culture Rather Than a Process Essays for CSS

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1. Introduction
2. Westernized democracies - a culture rather than a process
3. South Asian democracies - more a process than a culture Essentials of a Democratic Culture
4. Equality
5. Educated citizenry
6. Freedom
7. Liberty
8. Rule of law
9. Patience and tolerance Analysis of Western Democracies Why could Democracy not Evolve as a Culture in Pakistan?
10. Large-scale illiteracy
11. Deep-rooted poverty
12. Over-ambitious army
13. Complex intermingling of religion and politics
14. Religious extremism absorbed by all layers of society regardless of their socio-economic background
15. Enormous trust deficit between the rulers and masses
16. Deep-rooted authoritarian style of governance
17. Entrenched dynastic politics
18. Deep-rooted authoritarian style of governance
19. General lack of integrity among the politicians
20. Absence of a vibrant and ruthless accountability mechanism
21. Compromised judiciary
22. Conclusion

If one embarks on the study of democracy across the world, one comes to the Conclusion that democracy is about equality: one man, one vote. It is about empowerment: empowering the masses to choose their own representatives. It is about accountability, forging consensus, conciliation and discussion. But above all, democracy is about freedom: freedom of expression, thought, liberty and equitable justice. There is no escaping the fact that all these norms constitute the system of democracy. These are the norms which are called the democratic norms. And, these very norms are prerequisite for the successful functioning of democracy. Contrarily, if they are deficit in the society, the evolution of democracy is very likely to be plunged into the darkness of uncertainty.

Now the question arises if these democratic norms evolve in the society through a continuous process of trial and error or they are inherent in the basic structure of the society. If one has in-depth analysis of western democracies, one comes to conclude that these norms are part and parcel of the culture; they cannot be installed in the society as a result of process. Rather, such norms need to be ingrained in the society before a country embarks on adopting democracy as the form of government. It can be said that democratic norms of justice, equality, liberty and freedom are embedded in the social strata of the society. It is the society where everybody is treated fairly and in accordance with the law. It is not merely a system of electoral process where people select their representatives and cast votes. It's rather a complete social and economic structure that a nation adopts, that becomes enshrined in their cultural, social and moral behaviour. It means democracy is a culture.

However, if one observes the existing democracies in the south Asian countries, one comes to conclusion that democracy is more a process than a culture. And democracy as a process means periodic elections, occurring every four or five years, or as a mid-term or a snap election, that amounts to giving an opportunity to the masses to elect their own leaders. It serves to stabilize the system. It generates continuity and accountability. The system and all its inherent institutions are strengthened if this process is adhered to in its letter and spirit.

Before we resort to comparative analysis of Western democracies coupled with democracy in Pakistan, it would be quite pertinent to shed light on the core values of a democratic culture first.

The first and foremost ingredient of democratic culture is equality. Undoubtedly, a democratic society is imbued with the feelings of equality. An equal opportunity to vote, irrespective of one's wealth, social status, caste, colour of creed, materializes itself in the provision of equal opportunity to every section of the society. Noting that every vote counts in a contest, it leads to the establishment of a just and equal society. A contender cannot rely solely on a particular class or a group. In the present era, when the world is mutating fast in disparate socio-economic layers, it has become all the more essential to cater for the needs of those who lie at the bottom of the rungs, to make them feel an equal part of the society.

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There are no two opinions on the fact that democratic culture is meaningless, if it not imbibes educating the masses. The flower of democracy blossoms only when it is provided with the fertilizer of education. Probably, it was the only reason that universal suffrage was introduced in the English democracy in the early 20th century, only after the system of free secondary education had flourished and systemized in their society. There is no denying that an uneducated man is less likely to be hoodwinked by unscrupulous politicians. He brings his intellectual ability come to play and thinks beyond his self or community interests. Similarly, a glimpse around the globe will reveal that educated societies are more stable and harmonious with this system, while the ones with low literacy rates, as that of ours, suffer from sporadic tides of military rules. Thus, it could be said beyond doubt that a democratic society is basically an educated society and a democratic culture is primarily a culture of education. And it is probably the reason that democracies around the globe are focusing heavily on imparting free quality education to every child in their sphere.

Thus, education has monumental importance in the democratic society. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt:

"Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education".
"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all." (John F. Kennedy) 

Democratic culture is not consigned to providing education to the masses alone. Democracy, in fact, champions the cause of rule of law, individual and collective freedom, liberty and provision of fundamental rights. In other words, democracy is a culture of justice. It is beyond doubt that a society that adheres to rule of law makes no distinction amongst its rich or poor, weak or powerful. Everyone stands equally before law. Only a just society can claim itself to be democratic. History of democracy is replete with examples manifesting supremacy of law. For instance, Richard Nixon, the American president, resigned on the espionage charges in the Watergate scandal when the matter was brought before the courts. It indicates that the culture of justice is embedded deep in the structure of democracy.

Coupled with impartial justice, individual and collective freedom also sits at the heart of a democratic society. In fact, freedom forms the bedrock of democracy. Freedom of speech where one can criticize the misdemeanours of the ruling government, freedom of media to act as a watchdog of the governments policies and freedom to form a political union to present the interests of a community, class or an association. Unlike communism which doesn't appreciate the individual freedom or struggle, democracy is the form of government that vies for the culture of freedom in a society.

Moreover, democracy is about patience and accepting divergent views. True democratic spirit booms only by considering various points of views. Suppressing valid arguments just because they do not conform to one's ideals and principles does not find any place in this form of government. Personal and individual interests are subsided in sace of national interests. Opposition apart, they tend to work with mutual cooperation to steer the country out of a mess whenever the need arises. A culture of mutual understanding and peaceful demonstration is a key aspect of a functional democracy. Many other noble values, like protection of one's rights, socio-economic justice, and acceptance of plurality form the culture of democracy.

All these norms do not come into life by merely holding elections on regular terms. Balloting, casting votes, choosing representatives, formation of election commission, and everything that forms the process of democratic government does not ensure the implantation of just and equitable democratic system. These values that actually constitute a democratic system come after deep struggles and hard fought battles.

At this stage, it would be quite pertinent to take into account western democracies. Among the western democracies, the English democracy stands prominent. What makes England a successful democracy owes less to the process and more to the lesson that was learnt by people after the ruthless rule of kings and monarchs. The freedom craving nation of England couldn't stand authoritarianism anymore. Thus, when democracy presented to them that alternative way where they themselves would be able to guard their freedom and preserve their fundamental rights and liberties, they assembled around it. Thus, democracy was born from within the society not something that was imposed upon them by some mystics.

As the political ideas know no boundaries, this system inspired the other European countries. a spill-over effect. People in Europe were fed up with the discretionary powers of the kings and they craved for an opportunity to dismantle the crown. Democracy provided them with the opportunity to make or break a ruler, which they gracefully accepted. Since then, centuries ago, people themselves in Europe have become the guardians of their rights.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, democracy has failed to evolve as a culture in the country. To be sure, there are a host of factors behind such failure. It would be relevant to take into account these factors.

One of the most important factors which have played significant role in the failure of democratic culture to take roots in the country is the presence of large scale illiteracy in the country. It goes without saying that the system of democracy relies heavily on educated society for its proper evolution, where people perceive the worth of democratic values, where people are aware of the real importance of elections. The culture of democracy cannot evolve properly unless masses are equipped with political education. It pretty clearly explains why democracy is unable to take stronghold in the country despite lapse of 70 years. It is due to entrenched illiteracy in the large segment of population in the country that most of the educated circles consider democracy unfit for the country. Population which is predominantly illiterate and devoid of political awareness not only lacks the capability to actively participate in the political process but it is also for the politicians to exploit such population for their vested interests.

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Quite hand in hand with illiteracy, poverty is also primarily responsible for weakening of democratic culture in the country. In other words, poverty is the corollary of illiteracy in the society. Poverty is so pervasive in Pakistani society that most of the masses are not sure if they would have two meals a day. Against the backdrop of deep poverty, it would be silly and illogical to expect from the masses to care for democratic values. For a poor man, it does not matter who is in corridors of power or what type of political system is in place.

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?" 

Thus, it is really hard for the plant of democracy to grow properly in presence of social disease of poverty. Coupled with illiteracy and poverty, the presence of overambitious and strong military in the country has also been at the forefront in weakening the political norms which constitute democratic culture. Such weakening is the result of frequent military interventions in the civilian sphere and confrontations between political rivals. The history of Pakistan shows that the country has experienced four military takeovers since its establishment. It has seen most of its period under the dictatorial regimes. Even in the intervening periods, military has been busy destabilizing the democratic culture by calling shots from the backseat.

There is no denying the fact that the culture of democracy cannot prevail as far as military is obsessed with the desire to step into the corridors of power to rule the country. The fact that four military coups have taken place gives a great deal of strength to this view that military coup has become a routine rather than an anomaly in Pakistan. This tradition of military coups gives courage to the military to destabilize the democratic set-up in the country. There is no denying the fact that the conflice between strong military and weak democratic set-up hangs like sword of Damocles' on the political sphere. Hence, the possibility of occurrence of military takeover any time in Pakistan poses a grave threat to the development of democratic culture in the country.

Coupled with the threat of strong military, the inseparable mingling of religion and politics is one of the dominant factors behind the weak growth of democratic culture in the country. The Pakistani state has mixed religious beliefs and politics to such an extent that it has become impossible to separate the two. Historically speaking, such mingling is the result of entrance of religious parties in the political arena right after the inception of Pakistan. Now, the religious political parties have acquired such an extraordinary clout and power in the political sphere that they have become a formidable challenge to the non-religious political parties. Due to disastrous mingling of religion and politics, democratic norms are in short supply in the political environment, resulting in weak growth of democratic culture. It is important to add that democracy evolved in Europe only when they dissociated religion from politics. Briefly speaking, the democratic culture cannot take roots in the country until religion is the decisive factor in the political arena.

In addition to the mixing of religion and politics, rise of religious extremism equally poses a serious threat to the development of democratic culture in the country. It is a fact that the hallmark of democratic culture is tolerance and patience. The existence of tolerance further ensures the spirit of coexistence leading to pluralism, which, in turn, goes a long way in promoting inclusive governance. Unfortunately, the reverse is true in Pakistan. Extremism has permeated all layers of the society regardless people's socioeconomic background in such a way that tolerance coupled with the spirit of coexistence and pluralism can be seen nowhere in the country. Unsurprisingly, the country is among the worst countries with respect to religious freedom and pluralism. Needless to say, in the absence of environment saturated with coexistence, it is next to impossible for the democratic culture to evolve in the country.

The ramifications of extremism are not restricted to the absence of coexistence and pluralism. They go far deep. They mainly appear in the form of alarming deterioration of law and order in the country. Extremism is so entrenched in the society that religious extremists blatantly commit acts of violence in the society. Suicide attacks on public places, government security agencies, educational institutions and shrines are so common that people have lost faith in government's capacity to provide them security. It would not be wrong to say that extremism has put the government's credibility at stake. It has given rise to the belief that democratic system lacks the capability to deliver in key areas of govemance. It is just an exploitative toul in the hands of political elite to perpetuate the status quo. It goes without saying that the prevalence of such belief has eroded the trust between the civilian rulers and the masses, hence, giving a severe blow to the culture of democracy in the country.

Another great hindrance to the development of the democratic culture is the prevalence of dynastic system in the politics. Since the inception of Pakistan, the political culture has been the personal domain of certain well renowned families. They have never allowed any ordinary person to be part of their political parties. Due to entrenched dynastic politics in the country, political parties have become personal fiefdoms of the politicians who are obsessed with controlling everything from the top. There is no denying that such anti-democratic trend is a symptom of monarchy rather than democracy. It has not only marred the true spirit of democracy, but it is also a huge impediment to the development of democratic institutions and values in the country, which are necessary for the evolution of democratic culture.

Quite hand in hand with the dynastic political system, the authoritarian behaviour of the politicians is also responsible for weak evolution of democratic culture in the country. It is a sad truth that the political leaders have miserably failed to imbibe the values of democracy in true spirit. They rarely manifest the democratic values in management of the affairs of the political system. In other words, there is an alarming dearth of democratic norms of restraint, moderation and mutual accommodation through consultation in the prevailing political system. Democracy only exists in slogans of the politicians who use democracy as a tool to perpetuate their rule in the country, hence accentuating political status quo. Any challenge to their rule is described by them as an anti-democratic behaviour. It is a fact that no political and constitutional system becomes democratic only by labelling it democratic unless it is imbued with the spirit and essence of democratic norms and values.

Aside from undemocratic behaviour, the politicians who dominate the political scene usually. lack moral character. They are just obsessed with the desire to have power. They never show such an attitude that could be conducive to the growth of democratic institutions. They always adopt the façade of sincere politicians before elections. They make sublime promises to the people of their constituency. However, once they are elected, they come up with their true selfishly corrupt faces. They start to do corruption on massive scale. Such sort of degenerated character of politicians gives an opportunity to the military to step into the corridors of power by removing the elected government on the charges of corruption. Needless to say, the presence of corrupt politicians is a huge threat to the evolution of democracy in the country.

The fact that political environment is rife with corrupt politicians is further aggravated by the absence of a strong and ruthless accountability culture in the country. There are no two opinions on the fact that ruthless and indiscriminate accountability is a prerequisite for the evolution of democratic culture. However, Pakistan has not been fortunate enough to have such accountability mechanism. The accountability culture is so weak that the accountability of rulers and their immediate families seems a figment of imagination. Due to weak accountability, the members of the families of ruling politicians are seen exploiting the official position of their parents or guardians to their financial and business advantage. Needless to say, such trend has given a severe blow to the rule of law in the country, leading to the erosion of public faith on the democratic system.

Last, but not the least, the role of independent judiciary cannot be negated as far as evolution of democratic culture is concerned. The culture of democracy depends on the rule of law. And, to be sure, independent judiciary plays big role in the rule of law. However, the case has been polar opposite in Pakistan. For long, the judiciary has been a puppet in the hands of military dictators who have mostly been successful in the derailment of democracy in the country as a result of collusion with the judiciary. Briefly speaking, independent judiciary is a vibrant tool of constitutionalism which is the bedrock of democratic culture.

On the basis of above discussion, it can be concluded that the phenomenon of democracy is really diverse in its nature. If one keeps in mind the western democracies, one is compelled to arrive at the conclusion that democracy.is a culture rather than a process. Whereas, in South Asian countries it is more a process than a culture. However, there is a general consensus among the educated circles that the ingredients of democratic culiere should prevail in a society before it resorts to the implementation of democratic systen. Population equipped with education and overwhelming desire to become an active part of the political process is indispensable for the evolution of democratic culture. Contrarily, if a society is predominantly infested with the malaises of illiteracy and poverty, it becomes a Herculean task for the democracy to evolve as a culture. This is exacily the case with Pakistan. Despite the lapse of seven decades, the democratic system is still in embryonic stage. Lack of education in large segment of population coupled with pervasive poverty has engendered a host of irritants like corrupt political elite, feudalistic stronghold in the society, entrenched religious extremism and overambitious military, which pose hurdles of monumental proportions in the development of denocratic culture in the country.