Democracy on the Brink - 1997

March 1997
After years of corrupt, inefficient administration, the Islamic movement is providing an alternative.

Corruption begins in the rural heartland where feudal chiefs exploit peasants. Left with only salty marsh land, a farmer and his ragged family say they can't even expect help from the police. In one town they couldn't vote in elections because their MP was bombed as a result of religious rivalry between the Sunni and the Shi'ite. Carried by supporters, his deputy, crippled in the blast, attacks the Shi'ites and the government. Such fundamentalist groups hold the moral high ground and cite corruption and economic discontent as motivating factors. Despite Nawaz Sharif's promises to solve the country's problems by offering "good, clean, honest government", fundamentalist groups such as Jamaat I Islami see him as another symbol of a rotten system. One Mullah warns of an Islamic uprising: "we will organise the people and we will look for our chance." Behind the scenes, former military leaders form their own political movement and strengthen their links with the Islamic groups. A judicious report on Pakistan's last chance at democracy.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Transcript

Pakistan -Democracy on the Brink

13 mins - March 1997

Men praying from books, map, men cheering	Evan Williams: Pakistan is the only country created in the name of Islam. But this so called land of the pure is plagued by corruption that's brought it to the brink of collapse.	01.00.00.00
	Chanting
	Election night in Pakistan. Elated supporters of the victorious new prime minister Nawaz Sharif celebrate his crushing two thirds majority.	00.33
Sharif speaking	Crowd sounds
to large crowd
	Williams: Sharif says his victory is a mandate for change but since the end of army rule every elected leader including Sharif has been sacked - on the same grounds of corruption and mismanagement.
	To many this election was just a revolving door ushering in familiar faces - all tainted with the same culture of corruption.
Buildings, interview with Ahmed Rashid Super: AHMED RASHID Political Analyst	Ahmed Rashid: The present ruling elite is just not in a position to raise sufficient resources, to run the state anymore and that includes the 30% of the budget that goes to the army.	01.22
	The tax base is less than one percent and the elite itself rips off huge amounts of money for itself through corruption.
	It's not prepared to correct itself and instead it's taxing the common man which is raising very severe problems.
Kid with sheep, people milling around, at market, walking, sweeping	Williams: This is where the corruption starts - the rural heartland - dominated by feudal chiefs with large agricultural holdings.	01.56
	The landlords assets bring them large amounts of money but they pay only one percent tax. From this power base many so called feudals enter politics and the cycle of corruption begins.
Women working, children watching, running	Williams: This clan of several families has been relegated to almost biblical poverty - little clean water, no sanitation and now no livelihood.	02.21
	Relatives of President Lhegari himself kicked them off fertile fields their forbears had farmed for centuries.
	Williams: The land they've been given is salty and useless, their lives are ruined and there is nothing they can do about it.	02.40
People walking and travelling on streets, woman watching, kids playing, streets	Williams: Many politicians take the same attitude to national resources when they enter politics grabbing whatever they can. This corruption is one of the main reasons people don't vote any more.	02.51
	Less than a third turned out for the election and even those figures are questionable. There hasn't been a census since 1981.
	Millions have moved - the population has increased. The government simply doesn't know how many people there are or who is where.
Street scenes	In this town people couldn't vote.	03.24
	Williams: Their would-be MP was killed in a bomb blast. The result of religious rivalry. Sunni versus Shi'ite.
Man (Tariq) being carried through crowd	His deputy - Maulana Tariq narrowly escaped death in the same attack. He now controls this radical Muslim group Sippah-E-Sehaba.	03.38
	Tapping the frustrations of hard pressed families this movement is far closer to the daily lives of these people than the corrupt politicians they rarely see.
	Maulana Tariq uses Friday prayers to attack his enemies, the Shi'ites that crippled him - and the government.	03.58
Man speaking at microphones, women watching, people on streets, Williams walking with Tariq	Women listen from the nearby rooftops - unable to join the men - not wanting to be seen. This nest of militant fundamentalism is an armed colony in the middle of grassroots Pakistan.	04.11
	Security is tight as his restive guards fear another attack on his life. While his focus is fighting Shi'ites he also condemns official corruption and questions the validity of Sharif's victory when so many didn't vote.	04.28
Intv with Tariq Super: MAULANA AZAM TARIQ Sippah-E-Sehaba	Tariq: People are talking about credibility and accountability because there is no standard for election to the assembly. So the method of election should be changed and some criteria fixed for the qualifications of members so the right people are elected.	04.45
Tariq speaking to crowd, audience, pan down from building to crowd	Williams: With the successive failure of governments to deal with corruption any promises of a new government are viewed with suspicion.	05.05
	Fundamentalist groups such as these offer a moral high ground - even more attractive if you're living in the depths of poverty.
	The discontent on the streets is exacerbated by the country's worsening economic plight. In the past year prices for food fuel and clothes have doubled. And with a massive 29 billion dollars in foreign debt the country is close to bankruptcy.
Intv with Rashid Super: AHMED RASHID Political Analyst	Rashid: Well, I think the most serious crisis will be the danger of defaulting on Pakistan's foreign debt and if Pakistan does that I don't see any sort of bail out either from the IMF or the western countries and that would lead to a huge economic catastrophe here. Industry would virtually shut down - rising prices - public discontent would grow.	05.39
Williams interviewing Nawaz Sharif	Williams: The new Prime Minister claims his government has the answers.	06.00
Super: NAWAZ SHARIF Prime Minister	Nawaz Sharif: This party has been given a very big mandate by the people. Now must address the problems of the country. The economy is number one, of course, unemployment is number two, corruption is number three, accountability corruption and then a lot of other issues.	06.03
	And I think by providing good governance, honest clean government we should be able to solve the problems of the country. If we are really committed to the problems that are there and we really want to solve them, we should be able to solve them. Because with this mandate if we don’t produce results - if we don’t deliver - of they’ll be very disappointed.
	Williams: And what could happen, given the history of Pakistan, what could happen to the country if you fail?	06.53
	Nawaz Sharif: They might lose faith in democracy, they might loss confidence in democracy and that will not be a good thing.	06.58
Intv with Rashid	Rashid: If Nawaz fails and there is an economic failure or some kind of economic crash, I think these parties and these movements in the provinces will take off in a very big way. Their justification that the centre is corrupt and cannot hold together - that the political leadership at the centre has failed the country. All the arguments that they are presenting now, and the religious parties will be saying the same - that these corrupt feudal politicians have let down Pakistan as it were. You will get these ethnic parties and islamic parties - they will find justification I think from any kind of serious future crisis.
Kashmir rally	Williams: In the cities groups such as Jamaat I Islami see the new Prime Minister a smerely another symbol of a rotten system. Having boycotted this election this fundamentalist Islamic group sees the growing discontent on the streets as its power base.	07.51
SUPER Qazi Hussain Ahmad Jamaat I Islami	We don’t recognise the government as legitimate because of the corrupt system but we will not come to the streets immediately. We will organise the people we will look for the chance and when the people become restive and they want a change we will give voice to the sentiments of the people.	08.10
Kashmir rally	Although not electorally popular they do not have the moral authority to order street action and national strikes.	08.35
	They organised a boycott of the capital recently that was one of the last straws for then leader Benhazir Bhutto.
	In this show of their strength they are protesting in support of Kashmir’s Muslims. They are staunch backers of Pakistan’s militant involvement in south East Asia’s most volatile flashpoint - Kashmir.
	And in this they could find a powerful ally.
Guards opening gates, military, flags, audience watching	Williams: On this border crossing between India and Pakistan, a bizarre ceremony mirrors the tension between the two uneasy neighbours. A reminder of the absolute power the military used to hold in this country.	09.17
	Compared with the past the Pakistani military is now rarely seen. They do not flaunt their power openly. But Pakistan's former rulers are watching from the wings.
	Behind the scenes powerful former military chiefs have quietly formed their own political movement - a party that seeks accountability of corrupt MPs.
Intv with Gul Super: General HAMID GUL Former Intelligence Chief	Gen Hamid Gul: The entire establishment had turned corrupt. It is still corrupt. We have to see how it behaves in the future and so no matter which government is in place, the nation must express itself between the election through the pressure groups.	10.03
	Williams: The founder and the leader of the accountability party is General Hamid Gul - a former Chief of Intelligence.	10.18
	Gen Hamid Gul: This is the last chance that democracy is getting in Pakistan in my view. One cannot precisely predict what might happen but I think the worst is going to happen. The country may well plunge into a catastrophic like turmoil which will rend society asunder.
	Williams: Is there potential for an Islamic revolution then in Pakistan?	10.44
	Gen Hamid Gul: Ever since the creation of Pakistan, on all three sides of it there have been revolutions. In China in 1949, in Afghanistan and in Iran in 1978 so Pakistan is naturally influenced by the outcome of those revolutions.	10.47
	Besides if the economic collapse and if the failure of the government, the failure of democracy, they come together. Then the people of Pakistan are so sick and fed up with the system that they are bound to rise against it.
Men praying	Praying
	Williams: Many liberals doubt the possibility of an Islamic rise. But there are already signs of a growing link between the army and Islamic groups looking for a more pure form of government.	11.27
	After years of corruption and economic mismanagement Pakistani democracy is on the brink. If this government falters the people may be willing to try anything just to keep their country together.
ENDS		11.57

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