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| January 03, 2008 | Thursday | Zilhaj 23, 1428 |
Whither party democracy?
Dragging ourselves to success
Next government’s task won’t be easy
OTHER VOICES - Middle East Press
THE Pakistan People’s Party has decided to go ahead to contest the elections 2008 to benefit from the sympathy vote that is likely to be cast in its favour in large number following the ghastly assassination of its chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto. It has also decided to press for holding of the elections on the original date of January 8 and oppose any delay since the earlier the election, the better the results.
WITH the election postponed to Feb 18, one disturbing aspect of the grim political scene needs to be highlighted. Must the atmosphere be vitiated by loose talk? Ms Bhutto’s assassination is a tragedy that has shocked Pakistan as well as the whole world. The disturbances that broke out in the country immediately after Dec 27 were in most cases spontaneous, though criminal elements also entered the fray to use the occasion to loot and plunder. The three days of rioting has done incalculable damage to the economy, besides causing the death of innocent men, women and children. At places, the railway system is in tatters, and the disruption has made the Election Commission feel that it will be unable to organise polling by next week. For the nation now, there is one aim that overrides all other considerations — a free and fair general election in a peaceful atmosphere.
Regrettably, the politicians — all of them, it seems — do not share the nation’s preference for peace, stability and transparent elections. They appear to be oblivious of the dangers inherent in a prolongation of the state of uncertainty and political animosities. By reckless talk, mud-slinging and appeals to raw emotions with ethnic overtones, the politicians are doing no service to Pakistan at a time when the whole world is watching us to see whether we as a people have the wisdom and courage to get out of the crisis. While it will take time before the truth about the conspiracy behind the assassination is established, the beginning is not very encouraging. The government has thoroughly bungled the forensic part of the investigation. The precise cause of Ms Bhutto’s death has remained a mystery because of the lack of consistency in the medical reports. The authorities are also resisting the demands for foreign help in the investigation. Given the government’s low credibility and the kind of people who run the various intelligence agencies, the demand for foreign assistance in the probe does not appear unjustified.
Let all sides realise that the investigation cannot be done in a hurry. Given the kind of personality Benazir Bhutto was, the enemies — hidden and open — she had, the ruthlessness of the Taliban-Al Qaeda mindset, the support they enjoy from their hidden sympathisers in the government, as conclusively proved by the suicide attacks within high-security areas and on President Pervez Musharraf himself, and the web of intrigues characteristic of Pakistani politics, all sides must have the common sense to let the investigators do their job with professionalism uninfluenced by political pressures. Instead, most party leaders seem to be playing to the gallery and have made no attempt to lower the level of rhetoric and cool off passions all around. In this respect some of the statements by PPP leaders and their rivals in the PML-Q were in bad taste and seemed to treat with contempt the sentiments of Pakistan’s grief-stricken people. Let our leaders note that their indiscretions could complicate the situation, and things could get out of control, thus giving anti-democratic elements an opportunity to cancel the election.
PARLIAMENTARY democracy may have replaced monarchical rule in most parts of the world, even in countries that have retained kings and queens as historical legacies, but it has been unable to halt the march of political dynasties — as evident in the PPP’s choice of 19-year-old Bilawal ‘Bhutto’ Zardari as its chairman. As in the case of many Third World countries, lineage and politics went hand in hand. Even a country like the US, which prides itself on its democratic credentials, is not without its political families like the Kennedy or Bush clans. The difference, when one makes a comparison with, say, South Asia, is that in the West even if a scion of a political family has a headstart over his rivals, he is still bound by the rules of fair play and accountability. Also, a politically aware electorate puts ability before personality when exercising its choice. Not so in South Asia, particularly Pakistan. Here people are swayed easily by the opinions of those belonging to political families — generally hailing from wealthy feudal, military and now business backgrounds — who actively groom their children to enter the portals of power at a future date.
One would have thought that the functioning of so many political parties in the country would have helped people and politicians develop more mature views vis-à-vis democracy and its institutions. Unfortunately, the parties have not really matured into political institutions that are not personality-centric. While it is true that the constant abrogation and mutilation of constitutions, long periods of military rule and flawed election processes have made the survival of political parties quite a challenge, it is also a fact that most parties have not abided by the rules themselves. Elections within the parties are rarely held, and the absence of a democratic process within their ranks is incongruent with their public calls for freedom. As the case of the PPP shows, a crisis of leadership arises because no second rank of leadership has been groomed adequately to take on the mantle of guardianship when a leader departs from the scene. To quote Hamid Khan, a top legal expert, political parties in the country tend to “personalise rather than institutionalise their parties” — thanks largely to the cult of political dynasties. Surely, it is possible for political parties to abide by democracy’s rules within their own ranks, even if the outside milieu is one of authoritarianism. Only then will they be able to emerge stronger than the forces of repression that have so far retained the upper hand.
PAKISTAN may be taking the long road to becoming a polio-free state. After an almost 13-year battle against the dreaded malady and despite repeated claims of inching towards the much touted goal of its elimination, the country still has the dubious honour of being one of four countries where the disease is present — 24 cases in 2007. The highest number of polio cases was found in Sindh where an astounding 11 incidents were reported. These figures become more disconcerting given the fact that in 2005, the province had nearly overcome the malaise with only five reported cases.
While experts blame this escalation on the influx of migrants from across the provincial border as an aftermath of the floods, misconceptions and social taboos continue to hound polio-control initiatives. There is little to deny that the journey towards purging the province of polio has been slow. But in a scenario that has our neighbour India with a higher poliovirus rate, our government’s campaign and its execution must be far more high-profile and aggressive than it is today. Instead, celebrity-endorsed NGO efforts are more visible in both Karachi and remote areas of the province. Sindh health authorities must conduct focused vaccination drives, and national and provincial immunisation days must be better organised. Importantly, measures must be adopted to raise the level of routine inoculations. One way of ensuring this, say experts, is to make vaccination cards compulsory for admission into primary schools. Needless to say, all strategies, from communication, execution to education, will require the involvement of indigenous partners who can also address the issue of erroneous beliefs such as polio vaccines being a threat to human fertility. Hopefully, with stringent measures in place, 2008 can be the long-awaited year that sees polio become a nightmare of the past.
But factors like destruction of election commission offices and the records there, and possible law and order problems may become the cause of delay in the election.
The party has in its election manifesto renewed the old offer of “ roti , kapran and makan”. It is no longer as much a binding commitment as it was in the 1970s when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came up with it but remains a slogan to go with the five broad commitments under the letter “E”.
The party is realistic enough to say that without adequate and sustained resources it can delay “roti, kapra or makaan” to the people. The government has not even been able to provide to the people the wheat flour it has because of maladministration and corruption.
In spite of the 22.5 million tonne output of wheat it has not been able to meet the demand for atta, even at a higher price, the promised price being 16 rupees a kilo. Larger resource is hard to come by and most of that is consumed by crude oil which is soaring towards 100 dollars a barrel. The fear is the deficit may rise to 4.2 percent of the GDP instead of the targeted 3.4 percent.
In the present circumstances, conditional taxation cannot be levied as it will cut across the electoral interest of the former ruling parties and the curent setup.
The context in which Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promised ‘roti , kapra and makaan’ in the 1970s has greatly changed. The population has increased by 60-70 million and inflation since the 1970s has been high and sustained. Together they have fouled up the economy and strained the resources to the extreme. So, a new government won’t be able to do much in this regard. Hence the PPP’s five “E” programme which promises jobs to the unemployed is by no means easy to implement.
If in spite of the record wheat output of 22.5 million tones there can be its scarcity, the nature of the problem is understandable. Either the estimate of the crop was not accurate and was exaggerated for political reasons, or the output is inadequate to meet the actual needs. Maybe, the distribution of wheat and atta was mismanaged as they went into the hands of hoarders and price manipulators. The new government may not be able to do better unless the party cadres effectively support remedial measures.
Now the caretaker government in Sindh has promised to sell wheat flour at Rs16 per kilo by asking all the 45 flour mills to open a depot each and provided them wheat at the fixed price. But the wheat flour is still available at far higher prices.
The question remains whether the crop was wilfully exaggerated and how many politicians were involved in the hoarding and profiteering. Those who hoard should be tried and punished although that may not be possible during the election period for political reasons.
This is the situation about “roti.” Coming to “kapra”, the fact is that prices have risen far higher than what they were in the 1970s. Cotton prices have soared high and we have begun to import it from India and Central Asia to meet the shortage. On urgent basis, we are importing 500,000 thousand bales of short staple cotton from India. The crop output has become unstable because of weather conditions and pest attacks.
Our effort to produce dirt-free and pest-free cotton must be made a success and not a partial one, as it has been through the efforts of Razzak Dawood, ex-commerce minister. The efficiency of the textile mills should also be improved and their products should be able to command a better price. The cotton output should be raised initially to fifteen million bales and ultimately to 25 million bales. What is important is that our products earn a better name abroad. The yield per acre for cotton should be improved at least to the level as in Indian Punjab which is not too difficult.
The crunch comes when the question of “makan” or housing for the poor comes up. Housing has become much too costly in spite of the recent drop in real estate prices. Land is becoming more costly in many places. The land for the poor is also getting scarce whereas a lot of land is available for the very rich.
Land is a political asset more so now when it is too costly and the provincial governments do not want to spare it. That is all the more so when many politicians want to grab it. The Nawaz Sharif government found it very difficult to get land for low income housing from the provincial governments. And when the land is available the price is very high.
The second problem is the preference of the workers for housing near their places of work. They do not like to travel long distance, as it is costly, to reach their factories and return home. So they prefer to stay in Katchi Abadis close to their places of work. As a result Katchi Abadis have sprung up in many places and it suits the politicians to patronise them as they can get their return in terms of votes.
Then, building materials are getting more and more costly. Cement at about close to Rs300 a bag is 12 times as high as it was in the 1970s, brick too is costly and the prices of steel products are always going up. Construction workers who are qualified are costly and others cost as much without competence.
Hence, the government, instead of promising more housing, is offering house building loans to workers but because of inflation, they are not able to pay the housing instalments.
As a result of the environmental pollution and degradation pollution is on the increase. Fifty thousand people die each year in Pakistan because of pollution and the country loses economically Rs350 billion, says a recent World Bank report. In view of these facts the government is not able to meet its social commitments or economic promises.
Terror should not win
IT was with great shock and horror that the world received news of the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday.
The charismatic opposition leader, the first woman prime minister of a Muslim country, will be missed at home as a brave determined leader and around the world as a role model for many women aspiring to do their utmost to serve their societies.
The terror attack claimed the life of Bhutto along with several of her supporters as she was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi. And obviously the main target was Pakistan’s stability and democracy. The people of the country should be aware of this and are thus required more than any time ever to forge ahead with their democratic process.It is hoped that reason would prevail over rage. The initial reaction of many was to protest around Pakistan, some resorting to sabotage and violence, acts that Bhutto has always rejected and stood against.
This is exactly what the perpetrators of the attack had in mind. It is highly important at this moment not to have the Pakistani people play into the hands of the masterminds of the heinous crime. It is important as well for President Pervez Musharraf to heed calls to respect the rule of law and not curb civil liberties as a consequence of the crime …
It is hoped that the Pakistani people would be able to overcome the challenges of the present stage and avoid the perils of a new cycle of violence.
It is time for them to celebrate Bhutto’s life and unite together in building their country and fighting the forces of evil. It is also time for all people around the world to unite against terror. After all, terrorists should not win, not in Pakistan, nor anywhere in the world. — (Dec 28)
Roll on next July
MINISTER of Social Security Ali Meselhi has resumed his intimidating statements. Apparently aware that many of his colleagues in the cabinet have already given auspicious statements in anticipation of the New Year, Meselhi has followed suit, promising the nation he would eliminate the long queues outside the bakeries that sell cheap bread.
Anticipating his pledge would be ignored by a suspicious nation, he quickly added that his latest empty promise wouldn’t happen until next July.
A few months ago, he told the Egyptian people that he had established a bread delivery company, adding that people who bought the cheap bread would no longer have to step outside their homes, as thousands of youths will start delivering it to them.
Although the press praised Meselhi in the highest terms for his unprecedented project, the funny thing is that these thousands of youths are nowhere to be seen.
Nor have any local families ever reported hearing a gentle knock on their door, made by a young man carrying bags full of temptingly fresh, steaming baladi loaves.
To make matters worse, Meselhi has maintained a dogged silence about any developments in his exciting new project. He has maintained a similar reticence when asked why the bread queues are getting longer and the loaves smaller and more expensive.
However, he hasn’t been totally silent, as he did recently announce that the bread delivery company would indeed be up and running by, yes, next July!
It is rumoured that a possible cabinet reshuffle might see him shuffled out of the frame; hence his new auspicious pledge, which he hopes will secure him another term in office. — (Dec 30)