Adil Najam
Before the elections Dawn News had done a series on who should become the next Prime Minister of Pakistan. I am not sure what the result there was. But I do know that the question is real again. Much more real.
Speculation is rife. Theories about. The more we talk about it, the more confused we get. The game is interesting, but is it just a game?
There are too many questions, and too few answers.
- Will we get a grand ‘coalition of [nearly] the whole, which will have 3/4th majority and could replace the President and rehabilitate the Constitution?
- Will PPP and PML-N part ways - either because PML-N will choose to be the ‘friendly’ opposition or because they both realize they cannot work together?
- What about the PML-Q? They are also talking to the PPP. Is a PPP-PML-Q coalition on teh cards?
- They say Amin Fahim is over, is he?
- Will we get a PM from the Punjab - Gillani, Qureshi or Mukhtar - to highlight that PPP is not just a ‘Sindhi’ party? If so, will this is permanent or temporary while the party waits for Asif Zardari to be elected from somewhere?
- With Maulana Fazlur Rahman doing his ‘meetings’, is he still in the game?
- What about the ANP? Could we see a consensus candidate emerging from there in the ruling coalition?
- And what about the provinces. It seemed that things were clear - PML-N in the Punjab, PPP in Sindh, ANP in NWFP and PML-Q in Balochistan. Will that actually be?
And you could answer any of them in the affirmative depending on what you already think and which news reports you have been reading. Any ideas what might actually happen?
In a recent post on ATP ‘temporal‘ had asked who should become the next president of Pakistan. We ask a similar question today but the intent this time is not normative, but practical. The question, this time, is not who should become the next President, but who you think will become the next Prime Minister, given the way the cards have been dealt with the last elections.
so, Koun Baney Ga Wazeer-i-Aazm? Any thoughts?
The vote was for the PPP so the choice is clear: Asif Zardari.
But whether he wants to head the state, or would prefer to appoint Fahim is a choice he has to make.
Finally, it is team work that counts.
A political team reflective of the country’s diversity, which looks to the future and not the past, works with sophistication to restore national pride is important.
It was indeed a moment of sorrow and deep regret to hear comments of Asif Zardari about Kashmir. Indeed tragic, Zaradari must have to be very responsible and cautious while giving statement especially about only main issue of Kashmir. Kashmir is our jugular part and we will not any leader selling it india. I want to convey my all love and affection to Kashmiri brethern and sisters who had laid down so many sacrifices for the cause of their independence. So Mr. Zardar and any body please be careful and remember Kashmir will always be first for all Pakistanis.
Expat:
It gets a little off topic but I was amused at your observation: “although one really has to wonder who told him to dye his hair black”.
Yes, I wonder who advises these men to dye their hair. I am not sure about SMQ, but most policticians do — and they do it with a vengence. Have you observed Pervez Elahi? Dyed to the gills?
According to a woman specialist in haircare, “dye jobs that resemble someone slathering their head with black shoe polish is a far bigger turnoff than grey hair. (A bad toupee, that’s a deal-breaker.)”
I would prefer to see a PM or President who doesn’t dye his hair.
If the Americans have anything to do with it, then probably SMQ will be the next PM. He’s the “blue eyed” boy as far as the West is concerned - Cambridge educated, well-spoken and well-dressed too (although one really has to wonder who told him to dye his hair black - thank God it’s back to its”clinton-esque” glory (and I mean Bill not Hilll!). Not sure if there’s any substance behind him, but he definitely has the “face validity” of a PM. Also, while he is Punjabi, he represents the Siraiki speakers which is a HUGE plus. Also, he is a religious figurehead of sorts through which he has a major connection to Sindhis. So he actually has a lot going for him (he’s also been in both parties so that sort of makes him bi-partisan, no? lol). But of course, the best candidate (and this of course is RELATIVELY speaking) hardly ever gets chosen (otherwise Ehtizaz Ehsan would be made PM). So… I’m not holding my breath….
Each one of us is eager to say democracy is the best. In the same breath we hold debates and opinion sniffers to ask who will head the government. Nothing wrong with that if it were pre-poll. Once the election results are out and we know which party’s choice shall/should prevail, to me, such a question seems absurd. If we hold the mark of ink on our thumb, we have already spoken. It will now be the burden of leadership to decide. I will question the merit of decision when my member elect fails to deliver. Not before that! In the meantime I shall keep my faith and pray. And I sincerely hope I made a reasonable decision. Democracy I believe is harmony not cacophony. The nation’s verdict is not uniform doesn’t matter at all. That is the beauty of democracy: it provides credible filters with continuity.
Our problem right from the day one has been the glaring absence of continuity, the monster that fosters impatience. I have seen this impatience, obvious and not so obvious, on ATP pages. Why did Eidee Man feel the need to explain he wasn’t a jiyalaa? Because, People like sides; for them a person is a pegged animal. It seems inconceivable to think someone can be unbiased, uninterested and absolutely objective in analysis. Had there been continuity, we all would have understood the plurality of opinion and choice. None of us would then feel apologetic or need explain one’s sincerity. How ludicrous it is! I am sure all commentators on ATP are better educated than common people. Their sensibility tells that much. Middle class? No, my dear, that is not middle class. Monetary resources alone do not make middle class. Middle class thrives on institutions. We don’t have one left in a healthy state. That is our problem. All of sudden our love for judiciary has welled up. Is it love for the institution or hate for the one who has made a mockery of the institution? I think it is latter one. We have grown skeptical and impatient and the statusquo forces love it. They would feel happy to see us engaged in fanning doubts about our own ability. We have chosen our representatives and we don’t believe in their ability to deliver! Do our enemies need any collaborators? No! We ourselves are sufficiently equipped with weapons of self-destruction. At least that is what our barbed views say. Why can’t we let opinions be? If only my view has merit, I am a dictator not a democrat. Just show us the merits of what you hold, do not pick holes in what I say. Let democracy be a fine filter and sift what is grain and what is chaff.
Aqil, despite the issues you pointed out, the PPP seems to win or at least come in very strong in every election….there must be something there.
Also, I think you’re wrong on the class issue; the business community does not like the PPP…at least not Benazir’s and definitely not ZAB’s PPP. They’ve nationalized businesses in the past, and just compare this government’s privatization policies.
“One reason for the disliking for the PPP has to do with the fact that the PPP does not reflect middle class values at all. ”
How so? The non-rich seem to voting for them in droves.
“The other thing is that the PPP is stuck in the past.”
What does this statement mean? Not like futuristic Musharraf who struck the clock back another 20 years with his dictatorship? Or like Nawaz who took us back to God knows when by ATTACKING the supreme court chief justice….but I guess that was okay, after all, he was a sindhi PPP crony anyway…now he’s the pro-judiciary party….how times have changed….Nawaz is certainly not stuck in the past.
“Instead, they rely more on emotional blackmail by mentioning the ’sacrifices’ of the Bhutto family or the party’s history of opposing military rule in the 1980s.”
Putting the quotes around sacrifice really shows your viewpoint very clearly. You can point out all the flaws you want, but the fact remains that ZAB did not give in until the last minute; have some respect to people who have seen one person after the other get killed. Unlike the king of the middle class Nawaz who was so terrified that he called his uncles in Saudi Arabia to bail him out….what does HE have to stand on? Qarz Utaro Mulk Sawaro?
It will be unfair if Amin faheem is not made the PM becuase he ran the show in Benezir’s absence and remained loyal when all types of baits were thrown at him. And because Asif Zardari mentioned his name after the funeral in a much publicized press conference. He should never have done that. On merit though Shah Mehmood Qureshi is someone to think about. There is a real chance for PPP to strengthen its position in Punjab by having a Punjabi PM. And not just that, they will have to do real work, projects, etc. to make that happen. Asif has shown already how weak a leader he is compared to his late spouse and how his vision changes by the day. In Sindh he has made the right choices though by making Qaim Ali Shah CM and Nisar Khoro speaker. Going by contribution, these were two top dogs in the past many years and it would have been unfair had he made Durrani, his best friend the CM. Even though I think Khoro should have been the choice for CM. Ironically it is becoming evident that the decsions Zaradri would’ve easily made in Benenezir’s life will not come as easy after Benezir. He is a Zardari and he will know his limitations soon.
If PPP is to become a real political force they must move beyond slogans and Sindh and do real work. Aqil has nailed down their obsession with the past.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Yousaf Raza Gilani and Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar are hardly “nobodies”, as one poster called them…
Qureshi was the PPP candidate for PM last time too, is a loyal PPP member, is the Punjab chapter president and was the only one to defeat the popular Javed Hashmi, who contested from four constituencies and won three… he is also respected as an administrator, having been Nazim of Multan, and was even offered a place in government by Musharraf, but turned it down… if you’d had the chance to hear him speak, you’ll agree that there are few orators in Pakistan equal to him…
Gilani is also a party stalwart and has spent years in jail… he has been a minister a number of times…
Mukhtar is a former commerce minister, and anyone who can defeat the formidable Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain from his own constituency deserves respect…
As for going for a Punjabi PM, the PPP is no different from any other party in a multi-ethnic country… I’m in the US, and there’s an election this year… traditionally, the Vice Presidential nominee from a party is always someone who can appeal to constituents who may potentially not be swayed by the Presidential nominee… the likelihood of Obama having a black as running mate or Clinton having another woman is minuscule… in Canada, the Liberal party always alternates its leaders between the Anglophone and the Francophone communities… in Belgium, the governments strive for balance between the Flemings and the Walloons, and in Lebanon, the offices of the President, Prime Minister, deputy Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker always go to, respectively, a Maronite Christian, a Sunni Muslim, a Catholic Christian and a Shia Muslim…
In short, it is a sign of maturity that we are talking about inter-ethnic divisions of power… denying something’ s existence won’t make it go away… while it may sound romantic and idealistic to say that the PPP can go for anyone since they have captured seats virtually everywhere (and this is true and they should be proud of the fact that they are the truly national party), the fact remains that their weakest area remains Northern Punjab… I am from Rawalpindi myself, and I can vouch for the fact that people in my part of the country are often inherently anti-PPP and anti- all other provinces… it may well be an astute move on part of the PPP to nominate a Punjabi for PM… if such a move can increase the PPP’s popularity in northern Punjab (and it may or may not work), it would be great for Pakistan to have our only truly national party regain a foothold which hasn’t been there since ZAB’s time…