Pakistan, a Commonwealth challenge

By Stefan Klein

LONDON (DPA): A pretty good indication of the Commonwealth's importance -- or lack of it -- came in a radio interview given by Prime Minister Tony Blair this week.

"To be honest," he said, "a weekend at home with my family would have suited me -- "

This deft politician, the much-proclaimed king of spin, caught himself in time, cutting himself off in mid-sentence. But from the rest of the conversation it was clear what Blair had been about to say before his sense of diplomacy intruded.

What he was clearly thinking was that on last Saturday he would have liked to be on the sofa with his two equally football- mad sons, Juapching the England-Scotland qualifying match for the European Cup, rather than attending a Commonwealth summit.

Admittedly, it is not the most exciting club, this gathering of leaders who are holding their annual meeting -- and marking the Commonwealth's 50th anniversary -- in the South African city of Durban this weekend.

The Commonwealth -- a voluntary organization of former colonies of the British Empire -- is a loose association of giants and midgets, rich and poor, autocrats and democrats, with a well-deserved reputation as a largely ineffective talking shop.

For five decades the words have poured down in torrents, in favor of world peace and development, and against apartheid and other ills. The fact that they have often been eloquent has not stopped most declarations -- written on the principle of causing the least possible offense to member countries -- from being shelved and forgotten.

But there was a measure of determination, albeit fairly late in the game, in the Commonwealth's sanctions against apartheid South Africa -- a fact being pointed out as the first Commonwealth meeting ever in the country got underway. And despite some delays, the Commonwealth was firm with Nigeria's former government, after it executed human rights advocates.

Now, with a growing emphasis on promoting democracy, a further important step can be seen in the organization's handling of Pakistan.

Back in 1977 the Commonwealth leaders were so wary of conflict that they used diplomatic channels to tactfully suggest to Idi Amin, then Uganda's murderous leader, that perhaps it would be better if he stayed at home.

This year, a month after the coup in Pakistan, the diplomatic niceties have been dispensed with. The Pakistani chair at the meeting -- between those of New Zealand and St. Lucia -- is empty, Commonwealth leaders having openly declared that the country's new military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is not welcome.

The country's expulsion from Commonwealth councils will almost certainly be confirmed this weekend, with an added warning that Pakistan faces expulsion altogether if it does not return to democracy within two years.

But this does not mean that the organization should start resting on its laurels, because the Commonwealth continues to have huge problems in its ranks. According to the Foreign Policy Center, it must tackle them if it hopes to gain more credibility on the international stage.

The London-based think tank, seen as one of the younger and more modern-minded of its type, proposed in a recent paper that the Commonwealth appoint a "Good Governance Commissioner" to monitor member country governments against a checklist and then pronounce judgment on whether they were meeting the democratic grade.

Those found at fault would be threatened with expulsion from the Commonwealth if they failed to make required reforms within a given period.

As a more positive form of encouragement, countries which successfully withstood the Good Governance Commissioner's scrutiny would receive a stamp of approval -- presumably an advantage in attracting foreign investors, who are wary of avoiding countries which could be deemed international pariahs and sanctioned.

It seems a nice idea, but the reaction of leaders like Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, a Commonwealth country, suggests that it would face considerable hurdles in becoming reality. The Malaysian autocrat said the proposal reflected imperialist thinking, and could be abused by the rich countries to bully developing country governments they did not like.

There appears little doubt that at least some Commonwealth countries at least would risk being expelled from the organization before submitting to a sort of democratic quality- control process, as Zimbabwe proves.

The Foreign Policy Center's paper identified this southern African nation as a problem area, and -- partly because President Robert Mugabe described homosexuals as "worse than dogs and pigs" -- a potential candidate to join such countries as Kenya, Zambia and Sri Lanka should a democratic deficit-list be compiled. The Zimbabwean reaction was scornful.

"Laughable" Foreign Minister Stanislaus Mudenge said of the report, which he also described as "nonsense." He predicted that it would be used as "toilet paper" in Durban.

But even if the Zimbabwean government does not seem much worried about the prospect of a democratic calling to account, a Commonwealth of real democrats is definitely a goal worth striving for.

The common language of English and essentially identical governmental and administrative structures bequeathed by the British to all the Commonwealth members are big advantages for inter-Commonwealth trade, although this potential is often squandered by corrupt regimes with little or no conception of human rights.

Nigeria, after being suspended in 1995, has restored democracy and has been welcomed back as an honored member of the Commonwealth -- but the lives of millions of Nigerians remain blighted by the pervasive corruption that hobbles basic services and makes stronger economic growth impossible.

If there were a sufficiently empowered Good Governance Commissioner, that official could put Nigeria on probation until it cleaned up.

The inevitable dressing-down that the Pakistanis will receive, transmitted long-distance from Durban, won't really hurt anyone and will sound good. It may even do some good.

As for the prime minister of the mother country, he should find that his Commonwealth weekend won't be as dull as he feared. After his comments, South African officials rushed to guarantee a television hook-up so that Tony Blair can see the big match.