Adil Najam
I think that political parody – even when not of the highest quality – is often indicative of the political trends in a society. In fact, the presence of parody itself is a medium of political expression. Shows such as Daily Show with John Stewart, the Stephen Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live, the many British political satires, Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain, Three Man Show, and GEO TV presentations such as Bush-Mush Hotta Hai are not only indicators of vivid political imaginations but also of political vigor.
I saw the following video of a parody of a Gen. Musharraf speech by a student on Adnan Siddiqui’s blog yesterday.
00:54
I do not know where and what context this was in, but it is one of a number of such parodies (some, it seems by the same young person) available of YouTube. The quality of the portrayal is variable at best as is the humor in the substance. However, like all satirical parodies it is a to be viewed not only for its humorous content but also for the points it seeks to make as a depiction of public opinion and expression.
Aqil, perhaps you’re right. But come ON! Surely he would be popular once more if he poisoned all the mullahs… no? ;-)
On a serious note, he can save his legacy by getting a liberal government in place, sabotaging the mullahs, shedding the wardi and phasing himself out as president in the next 2 years. The man has done a lot for Pakistan. I think it may be too soon for everyone to comfortably accept this, but I think when we look back, especially on the economic front, things have been good. Now if only he would know when to bow out. That’s usually the mark of someone exceptional.
Social mistri:
I think it’s too late for Musharraf to rebuild the goodwil that he had. His arrival was welcomed by the nation and he did initiate some badly needed reforms, but it started to slowly go downhill from the moment he made a deal with PML-Q.
In my opinion, his biggest mistake was to focus too much on the question of constitutional legitimacy. He should have realized that no matter what he did to engineer the system, he would not get that legitimacy. His legitimacy depended on his ability to deliver on the reforms, and by compromising with people like Ch Shujat, he allowed these reforms to be undermined, which eroded his credibility with the people.
Eidee, right on bro!!
It’s in Arabic, and the top part says something to the effect of, “For the education of the nation of Islam”. In Arabic too. Which is typical mullahism. You’re in Pakistan, how about speaking in Urdu? If you’re quoting the Quran, that’s fine. But if you’re saying ordinary things – or naming an organization – it doesn’t really have to be in Arabic, does it?
There’s a similar argument against english names, but then what percentage of Pakistanis speak/read some english as compared to Arabic? It’s a 1:20 ratio I bet, in favour of English.
Aqil, yes, unfortunately Mush has squandered some of the goodwill sensible people had for him – in particular, with some of his recent actions. He knows what needs to be done to rebuild this. It remains to be seen if he does.
Ideally, if he can get the NDC to invent an anti-mulliotic (i.e. anti biotic to do away with the mullah virus), distribute it through the water supply of the country, and then resign as the big cheese, I think he very well end up being one of the best leaders we’ve had.