EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
‘The struggle for democracy has been marked by bitter strife and tribulations’ Examine the statement, illustrating the cases of Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar. (UPSC CSE Mains 2015- Political Science and International Relations, Paper 2)
- Post decolonisation, Most of the third-world countries adopted a democratic form of government. However, this western political practice could not sustain, and in many countries, democracy was reduced to electionalism.
- Pakistan got independence in 1947 and since then has mostly been under military control, directly or indirectly. As suggested by Christophe Jaffrelot, because of the contradictory elements, ideas and motives that continue to exist in the country. There continues to be tension between the unitary identity of the state versus the ethnic identity of regions, the complex relationship between civilian politicians and military institutions, and the role of Islam in the governance of Pakistan.
- Nepal, on the other hand, was never colonised but remained a monarchy. Since 1950, the country has been experimenting with democracy which has failed after a minute success. Recently, there is again an ongoing crisis concerning the leadership of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist-Leninist which has led to the dissolution of the parliament and the rise of several constitutional questions. The crisis even gave rise to pro-monarchy rallies by a section. Further, there are issues of identity politics with Madhesis, Dalits and Janjatis seeking more participation in decision-making.
- Further east, Myanmar’s democratically elected government is most frequently removed by a military coup. Myanmar was only a decade-old democracy after nearly a half-century of direct or indirect military rule. The military did not simply return to the barracks after 2010, and the Myanmar society faces a crisis of tolerance; Rohingyas are just one example.
- In Robert Dahl’s work on polyarchy, freedom is central to democracy. Freedom to formulate and express their preferences and to have a share in the government of one’s society. But most of these countries turned into electoral authoritarianism or a tutelary regime rather than democracy. And the fight between unlimited state and freedom-seeking citizens continues, leading to loss of life, liberty, and dignity.
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