The effort to do so, partly as an instrument to end the civil war, has been admirable if time-consuming. It can never be said that the leaders of this country, in spite of a brutal war and a confrontational political system, made no attempt to reach a consensus to adopt a rational constitutional settlement within a democratic framework to solve the pressing problems of governance in the country. A new Constitution, however, is too profound in instrument to be left to politicians alone even as a means to terminate a war. It has to reflect our culture, the social fabric and the body politic. All our Constitutions have been based on a commitment to democracy.
Democracy means different things to different people.
They are freedom of speech, freedom for the press and freedom of association. Most of all, the concept encompasses freedom of the mind - of thought and speech in learning and teaching. The right to free inquiry and free criticism is central to democracy. Democracy should thus not merely be government by consent of the majority of people, even an overwhelming majority. That was so even under Hitler.