We've been comparing the lawyers marching in Pakistan with the monks in Myanmar. I still think the sight of marching lawyers just seems wrong, but that's because it seems so improbable here in the US. Why hit the streets when you understand the rules of the game have inside access to its players?
A blog post at the New Republic asks the same question, but provides an answer. To be a lawyer is to work within the confines of the rule of law. When the rule of law is undermined, so is the legal profession.
Seldom has history witnessed hordes of lawyers taking to the streets. The author suggests that Musharaff has only himself to blame since he has had such a light touch as a dictator. He has allowed the legal system to operate, which allows the lawyers to communicate, organize, and act on their interests. I can imagine that the military dictators in Myanmar are shaking their heads at his incompetence.
A comment on the blog suspects that the protests are less about the actual fact of what Musharaff has done than the fact that shutting down the courts has taken away their business. The lawyers are simply attempting to ensure that they have jobs. The rule of law is good for business. The business sector would agree.
A blog post at the New Republic asks the same question, but provides an answer. To be a lawyer is to work within the confines of the rule of law. When the rule of law is undermined, so is the legal profession.
Seldom has history witnessed hordes of lawyers taking to the streets. The author suggests that Musharaff has only himself to blame since he has had such a light touch as a dictator. He has allowed the legal system to operate, which allows the lawyers to communicate, organize, and act on their interests. I can imagine that the military dictators in Myanmar are shaking their heads at his incompetence.
A comment on the blog suspects that the protests are less about the actual fact of what Musharaff has done than the fact that shutting down the courts has taken away their business. The lawyers are simply attempting to ensure that they have jobs. The rule of law is good for business. The business sector would agree.
