Federations particularly those created by the will of the geographically and historically recognized political and cultural sub-nationals, require a careful handling through a plural, inclusive, representative and democratic governance. Federal constituents have tenure-based state governments with political, economic and financial autonomy. These governments further devolve political and financial powers to the third tier of governments. It makes no big difference whether the Federation itself is governed by a presidential or parliamentary form of government provided it has institutional checks and balances, and does not intrude in the states’ domain.   

The Constitution defines the political, economic, financial, and legislative purview and authority between the federation and states, and provides a constitutional framework for the resolution of disputes within the federal structure. The Constitution remains supreme. All national and state political, economic and financial institutions follow it in letter and spirit. The observance of the constitutional and plural governance and laws has grown strong and is well embedded in the collective outlook of the developed nations because of the continued democratic practice, and a conscious belief in the sanctity of the basic law governing their countries. However, the situation in developing countries is different.   

The Constitution, being social contract between rulers and the ruled, ensures people’s participation in electing or expelling their rulers through regular general elections. These societies believe in accountability through ballot box. This binds political parties and their leaders, and public office holders to respect their public mandate. In the absence of any constitutional way of governance, justice, transparency and fair play in political, economic, and financial dealings of the federation, the small federal constituents develop doubts and concerns which, if left unaddressed for a long period, metastasized into fault lines harming the federal harmony. 

Our leaders made blunders by succumbing to the temptation of unconstitutional ways of governance at a number of occasions. The constitutions........

© The Friday Times