ATP Poll: Grading Our Leaders, Yet Again

Posted on October 24, 2010
Filed Under >Adil Najam, ATP Poll, Politics
33 Comments
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Adil Najam

It is time, yet again, to request our readers to please grade the performance of the key figures in Pakistan politics. We had asked you to do so in April 2010 and earlier in 2009 (here and here). We had presented the comparison  between these two results here. Given the political twists and turns since then, we think it is time to seek your opinion yet again.

Can you please grade for us the performance of the six power centers in Pakistan: the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Army, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Media. The focus, once again, is on how you think they have performed in these roles. In this installment of ATP Polls we would like to find out how you grade the performance of those holding key offices in Pakistan: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, and Opposition Leader Nawaf Sharif. Once again, we have included the Media (as a whole and as an institution) since they also influence Pakistan’s power balance.

I know I am repeating myself (both in this post and from the previous ones), and I also realize that at some level this appeal will be ignored, but do let me say again that the purpose of this exercise is not to see whether you like these people or not, it is to see what how you think they have been performing in the offices they now hold. It is perfectly possible to not particularly like someone but come to the conclusion that they are doing a decent job in what they have been assigned to do, or vice versa. So, please, even though this is just a fun exercise, use your vote justly.

Do also comment on how you think they have been performing, and what aspects of their performance influenced your vote.

33 responses to “ATP Poll: Grading Our Leaders, Yet Again”

  1. bangash says:

    It does not matter whether Zardari would have kept or gave up on Presidential powers, because Zardari is a do-nothing president. The guy literally has no ideas, no policies, no leadership, no presence, he just hides in the presidential house all the time.

    Still I am glad Pakistanis have gotten the garbage govt that they voted for.

  2. Zainab says:

    Everyone nearly almost failed up there =P

  3. Nadeem Ahsan says:

    Kayani rocks. He needs to be appointed as COAS until 2025. But that would mean Zardari and Gilani would also remain in office by then as per PM Gilani’s proclamation.

  4. wsd says:

    We are heading towards a change, a new politico-social contract is required and only part that can deliver in present situation is Imran Kahn’s Tehreek -e-Insaf.
    I think instead of just discussing the change and criticizing the present rulers we need to work with parties like PTI, convince our friends and relatives to join and support PTI. Otherwise mere criticism of present rulers will not lead us any where.

  5. Watan Aziz says:

    It means, all Pakistani’s are thinking in a same direction.

    No, just the “gitter-mitter” crowd; of this site.

    Any “scientific” polling in Pakistan will happen only after sending a Pakistani rocket to the moon. (Why am I lately sending Pakistani rockets to the moon?)

    We Pakistanis are an ungrateful bunch

    Au contraire mon frere!

    We have this mess because the civil society is “bullied” by a bunch of thugs (with or without uniforms) with guns. And these thugs in turn get their protection by telling others “I know how to take care of them.”

    Someone quoted that Gen. Azam Khan beat a man so bad that he could not even crawl away. Sound great if you do not want a civil society. And this has been going on right after Jinnah departed. The de-railer was Liaqat. Then came the rest including Iskindar Mirza, Ayub, Yahya, ZAB, usurpers evil and enlightened.

    So there you have your reasons why it is so hard to break their hold while keeping the candle of independence and the path of democracy open and clear of hurdles.

    Did you ever hear something like this about Jinnah. Did he not have power of persuasion? Did he not move mountains? Did the people not jump when he asked?

    Oh, yes, it was all because people had implicit and explicit faith in his integrity, dedication and commitment.

    And yes, people did the same for ZAB. And let us down.

    And people wanted to do it for Sultan Musharraf too. But he was too interested in his sultaniat; at any cost. And he too let us down.

    So, now the question arises, do we support a person (personality) or a system?

    I say, system.

    The system needs fixin!

    A system with equity and justice with compassion.

    System that will deliver water for Mai Jori Jamali. System that will deliver meds for epilepsy for Shazia Masih. System that does not pour money into the 3 jinns of Pakistan: the good folks who live in “I-slammed-everyone-else-abad, Lahore and Karachi.

    And I do have audacity of hope.

    And with fierce urgency of now.

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