What on earth is going on with the Peoples Party?
After taking a huge hit in the 2013 elections, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) seems to be mired in a state of flux.
Confusing matters is the mixed signals the party has been sending over the last few months: With former president Asif Ali Zardari having redefined the word diplomacy as co-chairman, his son and heir apparent, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who is supposed to be the new chief of the party, has been highly confrontational – with political rivals and extremist elements alike.
It is unclear which position reflects the overall line of the party, or which one’s statements are determining the PPP’s policy in important political matters.
During his stint as co-chairman and president of Pakistan, Zardari had become famous for averting impending disaster by way of negotiation and compromise – a strategy neatly bundled under the one-word head of ‘reconciliation.’ When it did come, any sort of aggression by the former president was always measured, timed and was subtle. His references to Mian Nawaz Sharif were always covered in allusions.
Bilawal, on the other hand, has not shied away from firing salvos at one and all – which was most recently on display during his speech at Garhi Khuda Bux on the occasion of his mother’s death anniversary. He has coined derogatory political names such as ‘Buzdil Khan’ for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, and has regularly poked fun at the PML-N for being ‘scared tigers.’ While the good-cop bad-cop routine may be one explanation, the fact is that the party’s internal structure is in disarray. Hence such a strategy makes matters more confounding for PPP supporters. Should they be donning their battle gear behind the war cries of Bilawal, or showing restraint and patience behind Zardari? This is particularly important given that local government elections are around the corner.
If ‘reconciliation’ is the path that the PPP is taking, which is what is apparent in its dealings with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), then what does one make of the diatribes of Bilawal. Doesn’t this strategy serve to devalue his anger and fury in the long run and diminish the public stature of the man who is to take the reins of the party?
The expression headless is not only in place figuratively, but literally too.
Currently, the PPP legally and technically has no chief – with the position of both Chairperson and co-Chairperson lying vacant. There is no vice-chairperson either. Most of the PPP’s senior leadership, in terms of stature, not party position holders, is not even a part of Parliament.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, PPP had elected Bilawal as its chairperson and Asif Ali Zardari as its co-chairman, but since Bilawal was underage and as per the Police Parties Order 2002, he could not contest the elections and lead the party. Therefore, he surrendered his position and the party made him the PPP’s Patron-in-Chief – which is only a ceremonial post. Then president Asif Ali Zardari also quit his post as co-chairman of the PPP because of dual office case against him in the Lahore High Court. Since then both the slots (Chairperson and co-chairman) are lying vacant.
Talking to The Express Tribune, PPP Secretary-General Latif Khosa said that the party had started internal consultations to fill in the vacant positions, but it would be done only after the upcoming local government elections. “Bilawal will be chairperson of our party, there is no other option as everyone has evolved consensus on his name, but we are waiting for the suitable time for this decision,” he said adding that other positions will be filled after the local government elections.
In the meantime, it’s anyone’s guess as to where the PPP is heading. And why.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2013.
COMMENTS (20)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Sincere advice to Bilawal - Don't try to be something you're not.
@MK: I stand corrected. You are actually right.
I await the day when the Sindhis themselves realized how this party has hoodwinked them all along---not one reputable university in the interior, not one respectable hospital in the hinterland and treating the people as cattle herds when the elections come---they have even failed to pay the regular pays to the municipal authorities in some towns and that is why if you take a trip down the highway, you will see drains opened along bus stands! A party of corrupt feudal lords with not one middle-lower middle class representative in its echelons. Ha! A shadow of ZAB's party
@RK:
Both PTI and MQM are not family parties but are One man shows. So far both have life long party heads. As a matter of fact JI is older than both PTI and MQM and we have seen it change party heads over the years.
@Ahmad: Even in rural Sindh its relevance is only due to manipulation, money etc etc
@the Skunk: Truly PTI is the only party that is not a family limited party WRONG! MQM is a much older and better example of being a non-family party than PTI is.
Zardari feared from Murtaza Bhutto, who razed Zardari's half Mustache......Now Bilawal will face same treatment from upcoming Murtaza Bhutto's son....He is gonna shave Bilawal's eye brow...
The PPP has nothing to offer-it is a corrupt party of the feudals who has hoodwinked the poor into thinking that it is looking out for them, whilst amassing unimaginable wealth through stealing from the very people it is supposed to be looking after.
The PPP is a bunch of idiots pretending to be politicians. When has any previous PPP done anything close to performance?? Give me some example of what they contributed. Raja Rental? NICL? IPP scandals in the early 90s?
Ahh....ignore Bilawal, he's just going through a Baby Rambo phase :)
Its called a good cop bad cop strategy! Also dear ET learn journalism and stop passing off opinions as news items!
It is 'headless' PPP with 'headless chicken' at the top (test for ET to publish this ;-))
Who cares? PPP is irrelevant outside of Rural Sind.
What Bilawal could really do to reinvigorate the PPP is step down and tell his other family members that the party does not belong to any one family. If he could make the party a genuinely democratic party, where a person becomes its leader based on merit (which i doubt he will) then i would say hats off to him.
The PPP should make up its mind. If it is going to be a genuine leftist party, it would have to do away with elitist politics as well as feudalism.
Bilawal says that the terrorists and NS are cohorts. Then why does he supports the Government?
"but since Bilawal was underage and as per the Police Parties Order 2002, he could not contest the elections and lead the party." Correction: "Political." Salams
Truly, the PTI is the only party that is not a family limited party. And that is how it should be. With so many intelligent and learned persons in the PPP, this outdated custom of family hierarchy should have been done away a long time back. The same also holds good for the majority of political parties in Pakistan. Salams
Anarchism is better than democracy.
Government in any country is violent. So no government is better for human species. No competition. Only love, only creativity. Only anarchism. Anarchism is beginning of explosion of human creativity and peace.