Gujarat- Firmness Pays

This lingering dilemma of the martial law regime illustrates one of the paradoxes surrounding the seizure of power by army authorities. It is true that arguments over legitimacy and power are irrelevant for power provides its own legitimacy; or in the context of the now established norms of army seizures of power from democratically- elecied governments, the military coup is its own authority. But constitutions, especially written constitutions, have a way of asserting themselves over a period of time so that even the most patently illegal and authoritarian action needs to secure constitutional legitimacy. This is a dilemma that General Ershad is yet to resolve.