Traditional — in more ways than one

The members of the PPP-Z are now surely laughing their way to their respective offshore banks.


Amina Jilani March 29, 2013
amina.jilani@tribune.com.pk

For a long time, it has been lamented by some here in the Islamic Republic that it is credibly obvious that there is a paucity of leadership material. Whatever leadership material does exist, clad in whatever hue, is sub-mediocre or, at best, mediocre. In light of experience and history, this would seem optimistic given the reasoning that mediocrity is less of an evil than corruption and ineptitude, which invariably, in this country’s case, have gone hand in hand when it comes to leadership and the resultant non-governance — or worse, misgovernance.

The fact that this last democratically freely and fairly elected government died an unusual natural death has been lauded to the skies by all and sundry — with an equal amount of ‘zeal and fervour’ generally reserved for the celebrations of religious or national festive occasions — and has, in a way, turned out to be meaningless.

Caretaker governments, in our experience, have been formed after the unnatural deaths of various governments and assemblies which have been dismissed by generals and presidents, armed with due constitutional power, for a variety of insalubrious reasons. The measure of mistrust in this past PPP-Z government, due to its predilection for corrupt, dishonest, selfish, nepotic practices is glaring. Having served out its natural lifespan, had it been all that it should have been, could we not have expected sufficient integrity from it for it to be able to organise and oversee an election? No, it could not be — the trust deficit or any signs of democratic maturity were way, way out.

So, here we are with the main caretakers now in position, the leading one being the prime minister, an octogenarian, who in tandem with another octogenarian, the chief election commissioner, is expected to outwit the riggers and rotters and provide the country with a clean, spanking shiny National Assembly packed with those who are, inter alia, non-violators of Islamic injunctions and who abstain from major sins (what constitutes the acceptable minor sins has not been constitutionally defined).

The paucity of honest, acceptable leadership manpower in a country of almost 200 million — of whom some 40 per cent are statistically stated to be under the age of 40 — is shaming in that octogenarians are expected to lead the way. Or, is it precisely because they are octogenarians that they have been placed where they are, at the behest of the erstwhile ruling party and its skilfully manipulative defacto chief, who has outstripped all his political competitors by far?

According to the latest TFT editorial, “The battleground will be the Punjab”, which now has a PPP-Z nominee as its chief minister. The Lahore-based TFT also predicts that the coming election “is about traditional arithmetic”. Well, drat it — then we can wave goodbye to any hoped for “change”.

Whether the PPP-Z can claw its way back in, or is pipped at the post by the PML-N, makes little difference. The latter and its leadership are old hat — far too old — and the thought of their return, which is forecast, is enough to give one the willies. The former, under its new leadership, is a far cry from what the party originally was and its five years in disastrous power may have dented the enthusiasm of the once party faithful. The spoiler in the background, Imran Khan’s PTI, simply represents “change” but on its present showing, it seems too long a way behind the leaders. Though Khan has been politicking for over a decade, he is new in comparison. But then, in common with so many, he tends to dwell far too much on “I”, “me” and pretentiously, even on God.

Anyhow, and whatever be the outcome, the members of the PPP-Z and its coalition partners at the centre, and the rest of those in the provincial power seats, all had a good and lucrative innings and are now surely laughing their way to their respective offshore banks.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2013.

COMMENTS (4)

mind control | 10 years ago | Reply

@Amina Jilani

Traditional — in more ways than one

Madam,

Have you noticed? You and TTP agree on one thing.

PPP/ MQM/ ANP are bad. PTI is good.

Mere coincidence?

Parvez | 10 years ago | Reply

So what you are saying is that nothing will change...............but isn't that exactly what all the political parties and the establishment want ? ............the ' tamasha ' of an election to entertain the people and the label of ' democracy ' to appease those who give us loans. With sub-mediocre brains they are having difficulty even staging this sham.

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