Saturday 11 May 2013

Why the Pakistani elections will be corrupt and not free and fair?!


Before i begin this article, i'd like to state that this is only a summary of what is happening, and within this, i will not write in detail.

There is no free and fair elections, because of the amount of pre-poll rigging that has already taken place. Political parties, from the guidance and allowance of the Election Commission of Pakistan have gone against the very Constitution which they say they want to implement. It is a paradox, because they tell the country that they want to make change, create jobs, stop terrorism, create electricity and gas; to uphold the Constitution. But, this is all lies! 100% all lies! This system allows only those in Parliament who are corrupt, who are murderers, thieves, tax evaders, criminal; when they should be disallowed from entering the parliament and should be placed in prison, they will come back again as Parliamentarian. This has been proven in the past, and will be proven again on the release of the results. The Chief Election Commissioner stated in his most recent press conference that all the Pakistanis must come out to vote, because the constitution states that they must, if they want to uphold the constitution, but i say to him and his 4 member committee, doesn't the Constitution contain Article 62, which states that candidates must have "good character" and "sagacious, righteous, honest, and has not committed any previous crimes", and 63 stating that tax evaders, convicted criminals and loan defaulters, amongst others, to be acquitted from the electoral processes and parliament. The Election Commission of Pakistan releasing many statements in January stated that it would uphold the Islamabad Long March Declaration, but, not a single article had been kept. Those who were previously exculpated from Parliament for having fake degrees or loan defaulters or tax evaders, have now been cleared and are again running for the elections. The corrupt parties have done so much corruption one cannot even comprehend the extent of it. One party has paid over 150 billion rupees to just the media alone to air their campaigns and for channels to support their party; this money has been stolen from the country (the country's economy is only running by the following; IMF and World Bank funding, US and UK funding, and overseas Paksitanis sending money back home).

What really annoys me, is that the world media, international think tanks and governments look at Pakistan and say finally it is transitioning to democracy as it is the first time there will be continuous elections. This is all  lies, again! Democracy does not only mean vote, it means providing social stability, security, it means the providing of the essentials for survival, the opportunity for work, pluralism, the voice of the minority, the protection of the minorities etc. Where does anyone see this in Pakistan? Even votes, have to be free and fair, when pre-poll rigging has taken place, then how on Earth can there be any form of free and fair elections.

Elections in the history of Pakistan have been like the following: people go to vote, where there is strong party presence in that area, the party worker would hold a gun outside warning people that if they go against them than their fate is already sealed, then when they enter, at the booths party members stand watch who the people vote for. Where is democracy in this? Then pre-announcement of votes, millions and millions of fake votes are added, to the extent that the previous elections, there was 50% fake votes. Look at the ignorance of the people, that despite knowing all of this, being told by the media, these corrupt criminals have still remained in power, and the people have not come out to force change, or a re-election.

So, where is democracy in Pakistan?

The current situation within the previous month to this day alone, there have been a minimum of 600 people being killed, many politicians and political rallies being targeted, and kidnappings. When there is no peace and security, only the optimists will come out to vote, and with certification i can say that those in poverty and the lower classes see no change through vote and thus they abstain.

For the many, PTI seems like a breath of fresh air, a new face, a change, believing Imran Khan, an untested politician and leader, could change the country's destiny of self annihilation and destruction. He has captured the middle classes with his call for a "naya (new) Pakistan", he may even win some sympathy votes because of his recently sustained injuries, as the country voted in PPP on a sympathetic basis because of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. However, he will not attain what he has promised his people and what he dreams, he will not "sweep the polls" because the current the system does not allow for good people to enter.


So, what can the people do if they want change and know that nothing can change through votes, well there is Vote4None sit ins at polling stations across the country, millions expected. In democracy, there is voting for a party or voting for no party; voting for no party means that you believe that no party can conduct the running of the everyday of the country and that they are not capable of successfully leading the country forward. Countries like Greece, Ukraine, Colombia and Spain give the option to citizens to "vote for none of the above", however, even if the ECP did provide that option, the fact that there has been pre-poll rigging and corruption, and of how votes are conducted, as stated above, is enough to say that casting vote for none would be properly emperialised. Thus, Vote4None sit ins, are for those who say that this current system will not stop inflation, will not stop terrorism, will not provide jobs, nor food or water.

I shall end with saying that, there will be no change in this country with the current electoral system. And this will be seen on the day of the election results, as all the corrupt politicians will enter back into the Parliament. The state of the country will deplete ever so more; there will be even less electricity and gas, there will be more terrorism, there will be more inflation, there will be more corruption, there will be more deaths, countless more deaths... Dr Qadri rightly stated "all those who say they stand for change, will say on the next day in a press conference that there was pre-poll rigging, electoral fraud and backhand dealing (mukmuka) has taken place." Why? Because they have lost to the corrupt system. Then all those who voted, will become the revolutionary movement against the corrupt system, this is the real fate of the country.