|
When Benazir Bhutto made the last speech of her life at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, her spirited words rang with hope and promise for the poor of Pakistan. The intrepid leader’s powerful voice was silenced forever in the next few minutes but the dream lived on. The oppressed and downtrodden poor had lost a leader who had returned to her native land after years of self-exile to serve them in a manner she had not succeeded in doing in her earlier two stints as prime minister. While the charismatic leader had built up the people’s hopes with a great sense of purpose for a new tomorrow, she was not around when election time came two months later to deliver on her promises though her party had achieved historical success. The mantle of her party’s leadership was transferred to her widower but since then the country’s fortunes have been on a continuous downslide and the people have not seen darker days than these.
The recurring theme ever since the PPP came to power in early 2008 is that ‘democracy is the best revenge’ – a dictum attributed to the late Benazir and fed to the people on every available opportunity by the late leader’s husband who also happens to be Pakistan’s head of state. There have been many interpretations of the slogan but so far nothing has come to the fore that would support it in any credible manner. There is the oft-repeated cliché that a bad democracy is anytime better than a dictatorship (whatever that means) but all that the people of Pakistan have experienced so far is that a bad democracy is a bad democracy in all its glory and there is nothing in it that has proved to be better than, at least, the last dictatorship. And if there is an element of revenge involved in the democracy that has been bequeathed upon the people of Pakistan, it is obvious that none other than the latter who are being revenged against.
It appears, however, that after three years of lip service, even the self-proclaimed champions of democracy who currently rule Pakistan have become tired of talking about the fruits of democracy that their government has professedly brought to the people and are convinced that it is not within their capability or capacity to deliver on the promises and commitments they have made all along. While this may be just kite-flying but it is in this background that the present regime is said to be considering some kind of a respectable exit from power.
The next elections are due in the next two years and if the present rulers fail to arrest the current rot and their delivery record continues to be zilch in terms of addressing various national problems, they can look forward to massive rejection at the next polls. Despite all the negatives that the incumbent government has faced so far, there does not appear to be a single serious attempt on its part to mend things in any convincing manner. In fact, the list of blunders and bungles is long and murky.
In recent times, for example, there has been considerable public anger at the government’s mismanagement of the situation caused by the super floods. It is only the military that has rescued the civilian government from public wrath by providing relief to those affected to a great extent. Obviously, thousands of people displaced by the floods are still suffering and various government bodies, despite tall promises, have not succeeded in providing either short or long-term solutions in this respect.
The way Pakistan is slowly sinking into a morass is certainly not how Benazir had visualized a democratic setup. Today, instead of a positive outlook, the country’s future seems to be gloomy and hopeless and nothing appears to be moving in a positive direction. The PPP and its coalition partners, whether at the centre or in the provinces, have not succeeded by any count in controlling the demons of corruption, price hikes, inflation, over-population, poverty, absence of law and order, illiteracy, terrorism, sectarianism, foreign debt, water crisis, provincial disharmony and a fast-sinking economy.
The money-laundering cases against the sitting president in Switzerland that cannot be pursued because he enjoys presidential immunity should be a matter of serious concern for the image of any head of state. Nothing has come to the surface so far that indicates any endeavors on his or the government’s part to address the matter. Then there is the on-going tug of war between the government and the judiciary which has caused an immense chasm in the relations between two key pillars of state and does not bode well for any working democracy. It is also interesting to note that it did not take much time after the current democratic disposition took charge of the country’s affairs that a military coup was being considered likely. Even constitutional means were being mentioned as a likely means of ousting the government.
It is quite bothersome that those in charge of the country’s affairs are corrupt and thoroughly incompetent and seem to have no clue as to how all these multifarious issues faced by the country should be addressed. While the NRO has been declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, it is interesting to note that implementation of this decision is in the hands of the very people who are affected by it and, predictably, nothing is happening on that front. The disqualification of senators, MNAs and MPAs with fake degrees also falls in the same category.
Pakistan is seen, rightly or wrongly, as a state that is moving into deeper difficulties because of the religious intolerance, a near-collapse of the economy and a level of governance that is fast diminishing. This is leading to a gradual collapse of government institutions and a lack of state presence. Economic experts say Pakistan needs to grow at 8 percent per annum to absorb the growing labor force. According to them, utilization of existing capacity will add up to 30 percent in industry and up to 50 percent in fertilizer, auto sector, sugar, cement and steel. To achieve these objectives, the government would have to remove major constraints like energy shortage and availability and pricing of credit and macroeconomic stability. It is said growth would surely come but only through productivity and economic reforms and better management of public resources such as the power sector, reform strategy for railways, reform of the gas sector, etc. Revitalization of the governance agenda would also include the civil service, besides merit-based promotions and salaries and incentives to attract talent.
All this would be possible and the benefits of democracy passed on to the people if the political leadership, instead of hiding its face in the sand or looking for an exit route, faces the prevailing issues squarely in the face. In fact, if effective leadership steps forward and the people see their leaders moving seriously towards results-based problem-solving instead of bickering with each other or robbing the nation’s wealth, they can certainly look forward to success at the next polls. This way they can reset course in line with the dreams and aspirations of their late leader. 
|
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
