March of an idea and what should Asif Zardari do?
All the uncertainty and turmoil surrounding Pakistan occupied my mind for good part of last two months. Our federation is in a very fragile state, thanks to our establishment’s policies of 60 year. Worst still, this fragility came at a time when the world economies are subject to high inflation and slow down. To make matters worse, eight years of maestro economic policies of Mush-Aziz have destroyed the base of Pakistani economy. Pakistani economy having its base in agriculture and manufacturing has been turned into a leased consumer economy. All this and a lot more is really worrisome, and so worried I was.
If this was not all, the government led by PPP is under attack from both sides. On one hand, the president and his cronies are trying to undermine it and on the other the friends indeed like N's are wasting no opportunity to fail it. It seems as if PPP has singlehandedly decided to take blame for all that is controversial, to save the system. Any unpopular decision, even with the consent of ANP or JUI or N, is immediately disowned by the alliance partners, and PPP remains the only one to shoulder the unpopular, yet essential, decisions. Being the largest party of Pakistan, with biggest support base, it has the stomach to swallow the poison pills but what makes matters worse is the fact that right now PPP is a party striving to achieve equilibrium after the assassination of its all powerful and visionary leader.
The void and vacuum left by the death of Benazir Bhutto has made matters way more complex than they already were and this makes it imperative on the new PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari to act careful and smart.
One drawback of Benazir Bhutto's death is that, for at least a few years, party's vision will be stagnant at where she last left it. Being an astute politician and great statesman that she was, she could make paradigm shifts to party's vision and direction with changing times. With her out, unless party becomes fully stable and develops the panoramic vision in its top leadership or leader, the paradigm changes with changing times will be a long shot.
To his credit, Senator has executed that vision quite well. Be it damage control in Balochistan or policy of non-confrontation with power centers, be it national reconciliation or be it not clinching to populist political slogans, to going slow and not creating turbulence, Senator Zardari has delivered well on the vision and agenda so far. His handling of judicial crisis has also been commendable.
Mr. Zardari is a master of political negotiations and covert politics. He has used it exceptionally well so far to move ahead. However, the position of PPP chairman demands of him to master the art of head-on politics (something of which BB was a master of) as well. PPP needs not be apologetic for its unpopular positions rather it needs to come out and openly advocate and defend them. The effort has to start from its own core basis. The poor, the farmers, the labor, liberal intellectuals, parts of lawyer community, NGOs, entertainment media, all are PPP bastions and they need be taken into confidence. No government can give everyone everything it needs. But the effort to take core base into confidence should focus on defining minimum common agenda and making the base realize the consequences of PPP's alternatives at the helm of affairs (both Army rule and a rule led by right wingers in PML-N). Another natural ally in fight against extremism is political and social elders and land owners of Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh. With few exceptions like Farooq Leghari and Mustafa Khar, PPP should try to mend fence with political stalwarts who left PPP. It takes a big heart to forgive, so forgive but not forget, for now the enemy is common.
These extremists are aiming at all that our society has stood for. Centrality of women in our household, our values, our traditions, our social structure, our liberal ethos, and above all our religious heritage nurtured for centuries by rich Sufi tradition. Our infighting for years, our internal betrayals, our follies, and our sheer ignorance of the threat facing us has contributed to the creation of monster we face. It is time to convince all that we can always fight our differences later, we can always settle our power feuds later, we can decide what judiciary we want later, but this is the time to combat the common enemy who is threatening our very existence.
Did a labor ever think how will labor rights movements flourish under a Saudia-like, Taliban-like or Iran-like regime? Did a farmer ever think who will help him if not his wife and daughter in the fields? Did a liberal intellectual ever think which liberalism, upholding of constitution and freedom of judiciary will he fight for in regimes that exist in our immediate West? Did a feudal lord ever think what will his social standing be in a theocracy? Did the minorities ever think (even the sectarian ones) where will they stand in a theocracy? With all our euphoria for revolutions (even Iranian), it will change the society we live in for worse. Extremism is a menace hitting at the very core of our society and it is not hard to convince our people that they need to fight it collectively. They just needed to be reminded of priorities. But fight they can only standing united not divided. This nightmare of emerging of an extremist polity ruling our society might not realize through militancy only. In 1998, we came really close to it through political route - remember 15th amendment of Amir-Ul-Momineen for which they were benevolently rewarded by Saudi Crown Prince on his visit.
Being the largest political force in the country and the only representative of federation, this mending of fences is obligatory on PPP. So, foremost priority of PPP should be to win segments of society on its side. Terrorism has made it hard to do political campaigning. It could be shifted to viral-networking-based-word-of-mouth communication.
Secondly, it is about time that it should be made clear to allies, especially N, that either they are part of coalition or they are out of it. If they are in it, it has to be based on sharing responsibility and making tough decisions to stabilize the system.
N has limited choices. Unlike PPP, if it leaves coalition without backing of strong sections of establishment, it risks political wilderness. Its seats in its power basis (north and central Punjab) were saturated in last elections, and winning seats beyond that requires full-fledged backing of “angels”. Even their covert handshakes with Musharaf’s and Chaudhary’s friends, in recent weeks, are not enough for it now. Search for angels is probably one of the reasons N is so adamant on creating a new power nucleus around judiciary.
N has traditionally been more close to the government models prevalent in our immediate West. They owe to Saudis for their favors as well. So it will not be a surprise that given a chance, they will try to go back to something similar to 15th amendment. I strongly believe N has a role to play in the new power structure of Pakistan. It is for N to decide whether it is willing to accept that role. But accepting it will require accepting the new power structure of Pakistan, with its roots in the Western style democracy and its linkage to the modern world.
Manmohan Singh says quite often that "no power in the world can stop the march of an idea whose time has come". The time for us to embrace the modern world and its ethos has come. Either we accept it wholeheartedly and focus on maximizing its goods and minimizing its vices, or we will be forced to accept it on terms not set by us. This time has to come to our immediate West as well, for now it will be useless to fight their battles - and battles where defeat is just a matter of time. Channel our energy on creating best from what awaits us, rather than destroying ourselves by resisting the inevitable. Our social values, our religious values nurtured by tradition of tolerance and Sufism are precious for us and they have the strength to survive in modern world.
Mr. Zardari, come on front foot. Give your allies a “with us or against us” deadline. If they leave you, find allies in Q (and avoid ideologues like Ijaz ul Haqs and Chaudharies). Get rid of Gen. (R) Pervez Musharraf after your bara bhai ally leaves you. Make your party men go out in the field creating awareness, mobilizing masses and defending policies in the most crucial battle we have faced as a society in centuries. If some PPP leader cannot defend PPP position in the media, he is not a leader in the first place. Focus on roti, kapra and makan, take on media and business monopolies, not through nationalization but through anti-monopoly legislation, implement Charter of Democracy, and do them all at a considerate pace without provoking unnecessary confrontation.
Your government is not going anywhere. For it to go, one of the following has to happen.
1. Gen. Kiyani is not the man, he pretends to be and supports the efforts of sabotaging government.
2. Gen. Kiyani is no more at the center of security apparatus.
3. Gen. Kiyani and Americans develop a rift over WOT.
4. PPP and Americans develop confrontation.
The chances of any of this happening right now are remote. For the first time in three decades, PPP government has a window of opportunity. Going is tough but it is doable. Together we can and together we should. I am not too worried any more.
If this was not all, the government led by PPP is under attack from both sides. On one hand, the president and his cronies are trying to undermine it and on the other the friends indeed like N's are wasting no opportunity to fail it. It seems as if PPP has singlehandedly decided to take blame for all that is controversial, to save the system. Any unpopular decision, even with the consent of ANP or JUI or N, is immediately disowned by the alliance partners, and PPP remains the only one to shoulder the unpopular, yet essential, decisions. Being the largest party of Pakistan, with biggest support base, it has the stomach to swallow the poison pills but what makes matters worse is the fact that right now PPP is a party striving to achieve equilibrium after the assassination of its all powerful and visionary leader.
The void and vacuum left by the death of Benazir Bhutto has made matters way more complex than they already were and this makes it imperative on the new PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari to act careful and smart.
One drawback of Benazir Bhutto's death is that, for at least a few years, party's vision will be stagnant at where she last left it. Being an astute politician and great statesman that she was, she could make paradigm shifts to party's vision and direction with changing times. With her out, unless party becomes fully stable and develops the panoramic vision in its top leadership or leader, the paradigm changes with changing times will be a long shot.
To his credit, Senator has executed that vision quite well. Be it damage control in Balochistan or policy of non-confrontation with power centers, be it national reconciliation or be it not clinching to populist political slogans, to going slow and not creating turbulence, Senator Zardari has delivered well on the vision and agenda so far. His handling of judicial crisis has also been commendable.
Mr. Zardari is a master of political negotiations and covert politics. He has used it exceptionally well so far to move ahead. However, the position of PPP chairman demands of him to master the art of head-on politics (something of which BB was a master of) as well. PPP needs not be apologetic for its unpopular positions rather it needs to come out and openly advocate and defend them. The effort has to start from its own core basis. The poor, the farmers, the labor, liberal intellectuals, parts of lawyer community, NGOs, entertainment media, all are PPP bastions and they need be taken into confidence. No government can give everyone everything it needs. But the effort to take core base into confidence should focus on defining minimum common agenda and making the base realize the consequences of PPP's alternatives at the helm of affairs (both Army rule and a rule led by right wingers in PML-N). Another natural ally in fight against extremism is political and social elders and land owners of Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh. With few exceptions like Farooq Leghari and Mustafa Khar, PPP should try to mend fence with political stalwarts who left PPP. It takes a big heart to forgive, so forgive but not forget, for now the enemy is common.
These extremists are aiming at all that our society has stood for. Centrality of women in our household, our values, our traditions, our social structure, our liberal ethos, and above all our religious heritage nurtured for centuries by rich Sufi tradition. Our infighting for years, our internal betrayals, our follies, and our sheer ignorance of the threat facing us has contributed to the creation of monster we face. It is time to convince all that we can always fight our differences later, we can always settle our power feuds later, we can decide what judiciary we want later, but this is the time to combat the common enemy who is threatening our very existence.
Did a labor ever think how will labor rights movements flourish under a Saudia-like, Taliban-like or Iran-like regime? Did a farmer ever think who will help him if not his wife and daughter in the fields? Did a liberal intellectual ever think which liberalism, upholding of constitution and freedom of judiciary will he fight for in regimes that exist in our immediate West? Did a feudal lord ever think what will his social standing be in a theocracy? Did the minorities ever think (even the sectarian ones) where will they stand in a theocracy? With all our euphoria for revolutions (even Iranian), it will change the society we live in for worse. Extremism is a menace hitting at the very core of our society and it is not hard to convince our people that they need to fight it collectively. They just needed to be reminded of priorities. But fight they can only standing united not divided. This nightmare of emerging of an extremist polity ruling our society might not realize through militancy only. In 1998, we came really close to it through political route - remember 15th amendment of Amir-Ul-Momineen for which they were benevolently rewarded by Saudi Crown Prince on his visit.
Being the largest political force in the country and the only representative of federation, this mending of fences is obligatory on PPP. So, foremost priority of PPP should be to win segments of society on its side. Terrorism has made it hard to do political campaigning. It could be shifted to viral-networking-based-word-of-mouth communication.
Secondly, it is about time that it should be made clear to allies, especially N, that either they are part of coalition or they are out of it. If they are in it, it has to be based on sharing responsibility and making tough decisions to stabilize the system.
N has limited choices. Unlike PPP, if it leaves coalition without backing of strong sections of establishment, it risks political wilderness. Its seats in its power basis (north and central Punjab) were saturated in last elections, and winning seats beyond that requires full-fledged backing of “angels”. Even their covert handshakes with Musharaf’s and Chaudhary’s friends, in recent weeks, are not enough for it now. Search for angels is probably one of the reasons N is so adamant on creating a new power nucleus around judiciary.
N has traditionally been more close to the government models prevalent in our immediate West. They owe to Saudis for their favors as well. So it will not be a surprise that given a chance, they will try to go back to something similar to 15th amendment. I strongly believe N has a role to play in the new power structure of Pakistan. It is for N to decide whether it is willing to accept that role. But accepting it will require accepting the new power structure of Pakistan, with its roots in the Western style democracy and its linkage to the modern world.
Manmohan Singh says quite often that "no power in the world can stop the march of an idea whose time has come". The time for us to embrace the modern world and its ethos has come. Either we accept it wholeheartedly and focus on maximizing its goods and minimizing its vices, or we will be forced to accept it on terms not set by us. This time has to come to our immediate West as well, for now it will be useless to fight their battles - and battles where defeat is just a matter of time. Channel our energy on creating best from what awaits us, rather than destroying ourselves by resisting the inevitable. Our social values, our religious values nurtured by tradition of tolerance and Sufism are precious for us and they have the strength to survive in modern world.
Mr. Zardari, come on front foot. Give your allies a “with us or against us” deadline. If they leave you, find allies in Q (and avoid ideologues like Ijaz ul Haqs and Chaudharies). Get rid of Gen. (R) Pervez Musharraf after your bara bhai ally leaves you. Make your party men go out in the field creating awareness, mobilizing masses and defending policies in the most crucial battle we have faced as a society in centuries. If some PPP leader cannot defend PPP position in the media, he is not a leader in the first place. Focus on roti, kapra and makan, take on media and business monopolies, not through nationalization but through anti-monopoly legislation, implement Charter of Democracy, and do them all at a considerate pace without provoking unnecessary confrontation.
Your government is not going anywhere. For it to go, one of the following has to happen.
1. Gen. Kiyani is not the man, he pretends to be and supports the efforts of sabotaging government.
2. Gen. Kiyani is no more at the center of security apparatus.
3. Gen. Kiyani and Americans develop a rift over WOT.
4. PPP and Americans develop confrontation.
The chances of any of this happening right now are remote. For the first time in three decades, PPP government has a window of opportunity. Going is tough but it is doable. Together we can and together we should. I am not too worried any more.
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