government. But in order to make a success of constitutional government we must learn from our past mistakes. Before selling out on our new Constitutional venture, it is, therefore, imperative that we identify the causes of failure of the previous Constitution and avoid repeating them in the new one.
The growth of Parliamentary Government in Britain
The principal forms of democracy which are in operation today can be classified as the parliamentary form and the presidential form. Of these we have so far been familiar with the parliamentary form which is sometimes also called the cabinet system. In this system the executive is chosen from among the group or groups of representatives who are in majority in the legislature and remains in office only so long as it retains the support of that majority.
The British Constitution, often referred to as the mother of parliament embodies the principles of parliamentary government. A fundamental reason for the gradual evolution of this system there was the hereditary character of the monarchy which left this as the only peaceful way of enforcing the general will. Bit by bit, the entire power was concentrated in the hands of the people's representatives. The system took shape by an extremely gradual process of accretion. The classes which enjoyed the right of consultation with the king altered and expended with economic changes till the idea of people's government quietly crept in. In the 20th century the right of the common people to choose their rulers was fully, firmly and finally established.
The habit of the English people to alter things by evolution and not by revolution expressed itself in the political compromise which transferred effective power to the people and retained ceremonial grandeur for the king. The relationship between the King and the Crown which has thus been established functions so smoothly that the need for any further major change in the structure of government seems to have been obviated.
In Britain, parliamentary government has been a great success, but a brief survey of the working of the system will immediately show that its success depends on certain conditions that do not obtain in many countries including Pakistan. It depends upon number of factors which are intimately interrelated and form a complex of social and political behavior.
Enlightened Electorate
There is, for instance, the presence of an enlightened electorate capable of forming an opinion on the various issues of national policy. Education has been compulsory for 75 years. The average adult, unless he is mentally deficient, if capable of forming an opinion on matters of policy and is likely to do so at least in so far as it affect him personally. Every household buys a paper. Nearly every household has a radio or television set. The population is, therefore, capable of taking an active interest in political questions. That it does take interest is reflected in the fact that seventy-five to eighty-five per cent of the electorate participate in every election and many of those not voting do so because they disagree with the views of all the parties.
