Mystique behind symbols

The country’s top political parties have acquired more or less of what they wanted in terms of election symbols. And for that they must thank the Election Commission of Pakistan for taking some controversy out of the exercise. After going without its favourite symbol of the sword for 41 years, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has again regained the symbol for its use. In the 2013 election, the PPP had to settle for two swords as its symbol while its Parliamentarians Party (PPP-P) picked the arrow — recognisable as the party’s next best symbol after General Ziaul Haq’s regime removed the sword from the ECP’s approved list. The single sword will thus make its reappearance, harkening back to the time when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto contested elections for the first and second time in 1970 and 1977, respectively.

Political groupings take their poll symbols a little too seriously even when their overall utility has begun to fade, thanks in measure to the spread of literacy and pervasiveness of broadcast media outlets in the country. Voters are not so naïve and ignorant as they used to be, at least that seems to be the assumption. In the early decades after independence their use was indeed critical — linking a political party instantly with a particular instrument, an animal or a household object. The purpose was to choose a symbol easily identifiable with the voting public so that it could not be confused with another party’s image. It still is. Of late, however, it seems to involve the party’s pride — and even electoral victories ride on it or so they think. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement is a case in point. Its rival factions may never quite overcome their differences yet they are prepared to share the kite symbol — deemed evocative and unforgettable for its voters. Not all parties chose to stick to their symbol though. The PML-Q abandoned their two-wheeler and settled for a tractor edging out the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad in the quest. Symbolism is just not what it used to be.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.