Why hold elections?

Sunday, September 09, 2007

No need for elections.

It is now well known that Pakistan is being directly controlled by the US. Whatever happens here (including the budget) is on the orders of those sitting in Washington. We know that Benazir Bhutto made a mess of things during her two stints in power, yet we are being told that she should be the next prime minister because the US governmentthinks she is suitable for us (even though she is the life-chairperson of her party, and cannot tolerate anyone else even suggesting that she should step down and let someone else lead the party).

So the question arises: why should we spend so much time and money in holding elections? Why not simply ask whoever is selected by the US government to come over and occupy the seat of power? Just think of the time and money that will be saved. Whenever there is an election, we have two holidays, one for national elections and the other for provincial polls. And then of course there are those endless speeches by candidates who know they have no chance at all of winning. During election campaigns, workers of rival parties clash frequently, often resulting in needless deaths. And after elections, there are the usual charges of rigging by the losing candidates. So, until we have attained a high level of literacy, we should refrain from holding elections.
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi