why democracy?
Dinner with the President
Tuesday 16 October
10.00pm
Screening on SBS Television Tuesday, 16 October at 10pm in the Why Democracy series timeslot is Dinner with the President.
What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan when secular political parties have succumbed to the Islamic agenda? What does it mean when the army appears to be the only force able to contain the opponents of democracy, the armed Islamists? President Musharraf agrees to explore this apparent contradiction over dinner at his official residence, the Army House. As the discussion moves in and out of the different worlds in Pakistan a complex tapestry emerges revealing a society unique yet universal.
The filmmaker talks to diverse individuals, from labourers to intellectuals, from street vendors to religious right wing political party members, and from journalists to industrialists. What is their idea of democracy in Pakistan? What is their idea of President Musharraf’s vision of a modern Pakistan? Dinner with the President questions the role a military leader can play in guiding a state towards modern democracy.
*** NOTE: From Sunday 7 October, SBS Television will join forces with 25 other TV networks worldwide to screen a series of programs under the theme ‘Why Democracy?’ The films were commissioned globally and do not represent a solely European or Western point of view. The series has two purposes: to examine the real prospects for global democracy, the dominant idea of our time, and to debate a new style for this emerging democracy, which may not necessarily be based on Western ideals.
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