Adil Najam
I found this full page ad in Dawn very interesting. And also very democratic. Maybe a national conversation does need to be held on who (or what qualities) makes for a good prime Minister?
(click picture to see a larger, more readable, image)
Do you have any ideas? Lets try to do this not on the basis of who can win, but who (or what qualities) should we want as our Prime Minister. At least as an intellectual exercise, and a national conversation, we should be able to get out of Benazir Bhutto v. Nawaz Sharif v. Pervaiz Elahi type of ‘pragmatic’ discussion into a discussion of what we really would like to see in a Prime Minister. Dawn’s set of criteria is a very good place to start.
So, folks, give us your ideas but please please please do not again repeat the same old slogans and naaras about why you don’t like who you don’t like. Lets try to focus this on who you like, and why. And even this is someone who has no real chance of winning, lets at least think about what qualities makes you wish that this person would win.
The ad gives these criteria for the person we should be looking for:
- He should be bold in upholding the law without fear or favor, but his actions must be tempered by the heart.
- He must be learned in teh art of policy making, but not lacking in mobilizing popular support for his policies.
- He must be honest to a fault, but neither dull nor unimaginative as to be able to figure our white-collar crime.
- He must deal with civil servants with firmness and retain an unerring belief in teh rule of law. He must allow a sense of participation around him so the Pakistani electorate is able to guide his thinking. He must shepard a nation of activists – not police a fold of huddled sheep.
One should note that they clarify: “This man or indeed woman could be completely unknown. Or it could be that astute and honest politician who long deserves recognition for integrity, competence, or even an ability to perform a deft Machiavellian maneuver.”
I think that the problem with our country is that out of 160 million population at least 75% deem themselves absolutely fit to be the PM of Pakistan (they may be desperately lacking in other qualities and fields)!!! So I think that the response to the ad would be overwhelming not for the reason that Pakistani’s want to be the PM to serve the nation but rather the want of the nation to serve them!
One of the most popular utterance in general political conversations in Pakistan is, ‘ Agar mai ess mulk ka wazir azam hota tau sub ko sedha karr deta (or deti!)’ (If I was the PM of this country I would have set everyone straight!)
Who can, perhaps, be a better candidate for the office of PM than Maulana Diesel??????
Hire Mr. Clinton as Pakistan PM. What will he charge? few millions? still better than who took out billions.
We have a Australian coach for cricket team why not have PM also from other country?
I would like to see Dr Mahateer Muhammad of Malaysia to take over pakistan for reasonable amount of time he should be granted honorary citizenship and then made a life time prime minister becasue we have his policies working in malaysia before us. hmmmm.
faraz W:
Here is my take on Mr. Imran Khan Niazi. He has name and fame. I am sure he is a good person. But he is not organic. Meaning he did not grow with and within the people. He earned his name and fortune through cricket. No doubt he was a good cricketer. Perhaps one of the bests. In his early life he was mostly hob nobbling with the rich and famous. In his post-cricket life he has chosen to be a politician. We should welcome it even though he is mostly a media phenomenon. He has his fans but no political constituency. He is trying to built one. But in a wrong way. Since his clan supposedly came to Punjab from Pushtoon areas five hundred years ago he wants to built his constituency by using, in his case, a non existing ethnic card. He is siding with Taliban even though he is not one of them. But he does that in a hope that tribal and Pushtoon areas will be his constituency. In that sense he is a carpetbagger. He has been politically rejected by his fellow Lahorites because of his constant harping and fixation of being of a ‘martial race’. The Pushtuns have yet to accept him as their representative. He has yet to walk from door to door and ask for votes. These are not the ingredients of a national leader. Where will his political career finally set. Time will tell.