DATE=10/20/1999
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
TITLE=PAKISTAN DEMOCRACY
NUMBER=6-11523
BYLINE=ERIKA EVANS
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
TELEPHONE=619-2702
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Pakistan is on a new course, in hopes of
escaping its troubled past. Army General Pervez
Musharraf seized power last week from what is widely
seen as a corrupt civilian government, signaling what
could very well be a new start for Pakistan. U-S
editorials are engaged in a discussion over Pakistan's
new rule and the hurdles the nation faces.
We get a sampling of comment now from __________ in
today's U-S Opinion Roundup.
TEXT: In his first address to the nation, General
Musharraf promised peace talks with India, restraint
on nuclear weapons, and a crackdown on corruption and
tax evaders in the privileged elite in order to save
the country's economy. However, most of these
promises have been made before, and the General has
given no concrete timeline for these changes. This
has led U-S newspaper editorials to question whether
General Musharraf's actions will ever reflect his
verbal commitments for a democratic Pakistan.
The New York Times comments on the challenges that lie
ahead, and warns that unless promises are carried out
in a timely matter, Pakistan will fall short of any
meaningful reform.
VOICE: He [General Musharraf] is already off to an
encouraging start by withdrawing thousands of
troops from the Indian border and giving the
central bank a larger role in managing
Pakistan's finances. But promises of reform
have been made by previous governments without
lasting results....General Musharraf apparently
seized power without any long-term plan for
governing. His most pressing problem will be
halting the alarming drain in government
finances that has brought Pakistan close to
international default. Real reform would
require big reductions in military spending,
something General Musharraf is unlikely to
attempt. ...The idea of a tough military man
imposing neat solutions for complex problems is
appealing to Pakistan's long-suffering people.
It has never brought lasting progress.
TEXT: That was the view of the New York Times. The
Washington Post, for its part, believes that Pakistan
may be dealing with more fantasy than fact.
VOICE: Few of us are immune to the seductive image of
the man on the white horse - the incorruptible
leader who will ride to the rescue, sweep away
the corrupt and small minded and impose peace
and order. In Pakistan, many ordinary people
have such hopes for General Pervez
Musgarraf....There's no question, either, that
Gen. Musharraf has provided some welcomed
assurances in his first few days of power.
...But the General has yet to explain when or
how democracy will be restored. There's not
much reason to believe that a career military
man with no clear road map and no governing
experience, will handle these problems more
successfully than his predecessors.
TEXT: The Washington Post says things in Pakistan can
get worse - and likely will - if a military regime
ensconces itself. The Boston Globe is also concerned
with the lack of a definite timeline for General
Musharraf's efforts to bring good government and
prosperity to Pakistan.
VOICE: [General] Musharraf must end corruption and
begin collecting enormous sums of unpaid taxes.
He also needs to tell his compatriots and the
international community how long his
unconstitutional, unrepresentative government
plans to stay in power. His silence on that
subject was the greatest failing of his Sunday
address to the nation. If only to reassure
Pakistan's creditors, [General] Musharraf should
establish a timetable for the return to
democracy.
TEXT: Finally, in Baltimore, Maryland The Sun insists
that change and organization in Pakistan will not come
overnight and all the international community can do
now is wait.
VOICE: [The] United States and the world institutions
have little choice. They are not going to
overthrow the new strongman. They will judge
him largely on his international conduct, hoping
he diffuses the arms race, reduces tensions in
India and prods Afghanistan to greater freedom.
The issue for the world is whether to renew or
cancel rollover loans for the massively indebted
nation.
Text: That view of the Baltimore Sun concludes this
sampling of U-S editorial comment on hopes for
Pakistan in the wake of the military coup.
NEB/ENE/gm
20-Oct-1999 15:16 PM EDT (20-Oct-1999 1916 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
