The Ouster Of Prime Minister Gillani:
The Only Sliver-lining To Stem Further Erosion Of PPP
And Its Stalwarts
03 July 2012
By Saeed Qureshi
The disqualification and consequent unceremonious
departure of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gillani from the power citadel is a phenomenal
political development that should considerably
undermine the political standing of the Pakistan
People's Party. As the pinnacle executive of the
country, he remained tangled in the eye of a political
hurricane for all these four years.
Had president Zardari and the ruling elite class of
the PPP faithfully sailed along the PMNL in fulfilling
the accords reached out between these two paramount
political parties, this grave debacle could have never
happened. The country would have moved forward with
institutional consolidation and national harmony. With
thoughtful plans, they could have propelled Pakistan
towards prosperity and societal peace. Perhaps the
stifling civic amenities would not be there in such
frightening and abysmal proportions as these are now.
With the achievement of historic mandate in both the
houses of the parliament, the PPP top brass wanted to
shed the extra piggy bag they thought was useless to
carry along. The country turned into a political
battlefield between these two leading political forces
that wrecked the prospects for a strong, stable and
democratic Pakistan.
The incessant political belligerency distracted both
the top parties from the pristine and pressing goal of
nation building. Instead they frittered away their
time and energies in browbeating and undermining each
other. The fringe parties took sides and those with
the government were hugely benefitted in various ways.
Presently the country is in the worst shape than what
it was four years ago. With the advent of a
democratically elected government and the exit of the
military ruler president Pervez Musharraf, the people
genuinely looked forward to a glorious and promising
future for Pakistan.
Musharraf also became a guinea-pig although he was
totally piggish in his 9 years of intrigues- laden
rule. The perpetuation in power is the most coveted
objective of every human in power. But the strategy of
finding back-doors, side alleys and unworthy
hangers-on to remain in power finally boomerangs and
closes the chances for an honorable return.
In Pakistan, it is Musharraf and in early years it was
Sikandar Mirza who could not step back on the soil of
Pakistan that they ruled with iron hand, with trickery
and by quashing the democratic culture. Elsewhere in
the world, one can find several dictators who
brutalized and swindled their own people and
transferred huge wealth to the foreign banks.
Those who still managed to survive consequently met
with an agonizing and dreadful end. The two recent
examples are that of Libyan strong man Col Muhammar
Qaddafi and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. All these
unfolding events are hard lessons for the lustful
leaders to resist illegitimate temptations.
This unprecedented ignominy was spattered on the face
of the out-gone prime minister because he vowed to
save his party boss. He sternly declined to write to
the Swiss authorities to reopen the notorious Swiss
Banks' cases of president Asif Ali Zardari. He chose
the altar over his exalted premiership.
As such it is a spectacular yet stupefying display of
becoming a sacrificial animal. But how can the party
chairman return that unique act of sacrifice? There is
no way because sooner there is going to be another
noose around the neck of president as well. The irony
is that despite his self immolating sacrifice, Mr.
Gillani cannot ward off the dangers accruing to Mr.
Zardari because of latter's money laundering scams.
Someone will have to write to Switzerland for
reopening the stalled cases.
By comparison to his party chief, Mr. Gillani still
had some saving grace with the people of Pakistan and
more specifically in Multan constituency. Mr. Zardari
does not command even that much of respect in the
entire Pakistan because of his sullied reputation of
being the most voracious graft taker.
Unless his name is cleared from a litany of serious
charges including the stashing of millions of dollars
in Switzerland, he would remain to be stigmatized as a
shady character. And the clearance of his name from a
few murders to stupendous financial scams is as
impossible as rising of the sun from the west.
So Prime Minister Gillani has voluntarily thrown
himself into the ignominious dustbin of history for
the sake of a person who cannot rehabilitate even his
own lost honor and besmirched name. It was ostensibly
a bad bargain. But if it gives a tingling of clear
conscience and inner satisfaction to Mr. Gillani,
there can be no further debate on this issue.
But Mr. Gillani's absurd heavy baggage was not only
his hand-folded loyalty and unswerving servitude to
his boss. It was also the unabashed, unhindered and
frenzied forays of his two beloved sons to bask in the
glitter of wealth that could be summoned by simply
getting a nod or signature of their powerful father.
Now while the father has wilfully drifted into the
unforeseen landscape of future, his sons face legal
reprisals for their unscrupulous adventures for making
huge and fast buck running into billion in either
rupees or dollars. So the family of Gillanis is
destined for a prolonged ordeal.
Now President Clinton (Monica Lewinsky affair) had to
tread the same path of political isolation and
oblivion. Richard Nixon was irredeemably dishonored
for a wrong step for which he was partially
responsible (Watergate). But here we have a prime
minister who refused to abide by the highest court's
injunctions and stubbornly opted for a political
demise.
A horse looks well settled in his stable, a cat is a
lion in her owns den and a pigeon is safe in his own
cage because these speechless animals are fed by their
masters. For Mr. Gillani his placid place would be his
residence in Multan. But would he be mentally peaceful
and justify that he was the victim of a judicial
activism biased towards the PPP. Will he not in his
vacant or pensive mood ponder over his personal
incompetence and inability to set into motion a model
of good governance? Even if he does, the time for
redemption of the lost honor or regaining of the same
glory is unthinkable for him.
How popular, adored and powerful this strikingly
handsome young man with laurels of being committed
political activist and a die-hard PPP cadre, was on
March 25, 2008 when he became a democratically elected
prime minister of Pakistan. He was voted into that
august office with unparalleled mandate from all the
political parties across the board. And look at the
dark depth in which he has thrown himself and his
lustrous political career.
For PPP, a grass-root and Populist Party, it is the
rudest jolt. The appointment of Mr. Gillani's'
successor is not going to make the matters any
salubrious for either the president or the party's
smeared profile. The only sliver-lining to stem
further erosion of PPP and its stalwarts is to
announce midterm elections without waiting for the 5
years' tenure to mature.
This appears to be a more rational approach and the
best way-out for the PPP to secure the rest of its
goodwill. This decision could help in salvaging its
bruised image. If the party hierarchy still dithers
and cannot see the ominous writings on the wall, it is
doomed politically and may go with the wind of
obscurity and face the dilemma of irretrievable
rehabilitation. For how long, no one knows!
©
EsinIslam.Com
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