Pakistan President Pervez Musharaf on the first leg of his “European Tour” and speaking to an international assembly in Brussels decried the West’s “obsession” with democracy and pleaded for more time to allow his country to achieve higher standards of human rights and civil liberties. Musharaf said,
“While we believe in democracy and human rights and civil liberties please allow us time to reach what you have reached. And you have taken centuries to reach it.”
(what have you achieved in the last eight years, Mr. President?)
Musharraf explained that the “feudal, tribal environment [i.e. culture] in some…provinces” is a significant obstacle to democracy. This requires Pakistan to take a different approach to achieving it. Musharraf explains,
“Therefore in accordance with our environment we have to adapt democracy, human rights and civil liberties.”
Okay. Although there are various forms of democracy, the basic premise is that citizens participate in the governing of the nation; human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled; and civil liberties impose limits on government control over personal lives.
I’ll be interested to see how Pakistan “adapts” democracy, human rights and civil liberties to their feudal, tribal culture. Personally, I don’t think Musharraf’s heart is in it, and I wonder how long the West is willing to put up with his fence-straddling approach to leadership?
Tags: civil liberties, democracy, human rights, Musharraf, Pakistan
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