WINTER 2012 - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and ...

Fulbright Program for Foreign Students
of accessing the truth. I feel that this view has lessened my prejudice about
beliefs I do not agree with and has made it easier for me to have a more inclusive
approach toward my peers albeit respecting each other’s intellectual identities.
The second cultural shock for me was the democratic political infrastructure
of the United States. My country, like several other Asian countries, has a
democratic system for the election of government at the federal and provincial
levels. Cities and towns, however, are managed by the civil bureaucracy. Political
parties are not distinguished on the basis of political ideologies, but with the
loyalty of members to certain political leaders. It is therefore not uncommon
for politicians to switch parties before and after their election to legislative
assemblies. The strong civil and military bureaucracies and the defunct political
party systems result in a political system where every head of state has almost
dictatorial control over the country. Public servants are accountable only to
the highest echelons of public leadership and not accountable directly to the
common man. It is therefore not unusual for an average Pakistani to question the
emphasis American leadership puts in its foreign policy on the establishment of
democratic political governments where it does not seem to make a difference for
public interest.
The reason for this eagerness of Americans for democracy as opposed to
the indifference or disillusionment of Pakistanis regarding the concept became
clear to me as soon as I studied the city and county management systems in the
United States. The devolution of financial resources and administrative powers to
smaller political units enables the general public to feel more involved in policy
decisions pertinent to their daily lives; such as in the management of public
school districts, law enforcement precincts, and urban transportation systems.
Similarly, voting for a political party means supporting a certain ideology, so
again, at least in theory, a vote becomes a statement of support for a cause one
believes in rather than simply choosing a ruler. The absence of even a theoretical
presence of this empowerment in Pakistani democratic infrastructure explains the
apathy of an average Pakistani toward democracy, at least to some extent. As a
result of going through this observation and exploration, I consider myself better
equipped to educate and inspire both voters and political leaders in Pakistan
about the values of a democratic political system because I can now provide an
account of the realizable benefits of such a system.
Another item of interest to me that culminated in a cultural shock was the
situation of health care in the United States. As a student of public affairs, I
was keen to learn from the health care practices in a developed country in order
to have something to suggest to the health managers back home. The almost
nonexistence of government-provided health care and the necessity for everyone
to have health insurance was in complete contrast to my Pakistani experience
with virtually free health care and the existence of health insurance only as a
luxury for rich people and large organizations. The resulting development of the
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