Salahuddin
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Abid Ullah Jan
During the Watergate years, a famous American writer, Joseph Alsop, liked to say, "Politicians are like toilet fixtures. It is enough that they serve their intended purpose. They need not be beautiful." Voters reelected Richard Nixon in 1972 though he wasn't beautiful. But when scandal struck in 1973 and 1974, they decided he wasn't serving his intended purpose, and they pitched him on the trash heap. And the same happened to Benazir Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. The only difference is that she has twice been subjected to sharp popular rebuff, whereas Nawaz Sharif has had that distinction only once. And the biggest difference is the surprising statements from Benazir Zardari, who is predicting yet another poll this year.
Shamelessness has no limits in Pakistani politics nor is there any limit to the short span of our public memory. Taking advantage of both these factors, Benazir has recently announced an anti-government movement, which will, if it will, get underway next month from Faisalabad. Benazir confidently claimed that the "dark night is going to end soon as dramatic changes are to take place." Irrespective of her long journey from preaching the need of democratic to the newly espoused dramatic changes, all we can well remember are her statements that she made after losing elections in February 1997. According to the New York Times' John F. Burns: "She [Benazir] said she would not lead mass protests, as a common tactic by opposition parties, because Pakistan needed political stability for parliamentary democracy to survive"
(Wednesday, Feb.5, 1997).
Your Highness Benazir Zardari! You might be wrong in speculating that we have forgotten your loud and clear words: "We have had four [national] assemblies sacked. We've had politicians defamed. Enough is enough. I think we should give this country a breathing chance for parliamentary democracy to work" (The Wall Street Journal, p. A-21, Feb.5, 1997). In less than a year time do you think we've forgotten your promise not to destabilize the new government? Why are you calling the gullible masses to come to the streets again and why did you start predicting new polls this year? The problem is not election, the problems is what happens between elections.
Mrs. Zardari! You know full well that four national votes in the past eight years and your twice accession to the throne has not solved any problem. Every new election brought a new wave of corruption and in the intervals between the election opposition parties in parliament have been single-mindedly devoted to ousting the government. Last year's election was an election without shiny brights. It was yet another exercise in jaded disillusion. The real message of the historically low turnout was that Pakistani feel betrayed by all politicians. The real loser was Pakistani democracy itself, which has been ruled either by autocratic generals or elected but discredited politicians. This time the voters were clearly saying, who cares?
We don't claim that Nawaz is any better than Benazir Zardari is, as he has no better reputation when it comes to corruption and the abuse of power. But all we know for sure is that her sins in the office are not only way more than others but also made voters more disaffected with her than Nawaz. Moreover, with the politico-judicial conspiracies on the one and Army on the other side, Nawaz has so far got little room or time to prove that democracy can work and he can put the country on the right track. Instead of giving the country a breathing chance, Benazir is once again calling for long and short marches. We know that Benazir has entered Pakistani politics just to avenge the death of her father, but it doesn't mean that after looting millions and millions of dollars from its national wealth, she is still out there to cause the country an irreparable damage with the mentality that "if I can't, I would let nobody loot or rule Pakistan."
We believe that Pakistani people have enough experience of the corrupt politicians, who have been tested not once but twice in the office. Before what little is left of Pakistan disappears, they have to dissociate themselves from the looters and forget party labels, for whether it is Nawaz or Benazir they are the same leopard with different spots. It is not that Benazir has learnt little from her past mistakes, the fact is that she is still deeply wounded by the execution in 1979 of her father and she is out for settling scores with the people of Pakistan and Pakistan as a country. Death for Pakistan would be a poetic justice on her part.
Gullible party workers fell prey to her rhetoric but if the words had the fructifying powers of water, they would have brought bountiful harvests to our impoverished Pakistan. But instead of focusing on efforts to help develop the economy and trying to provide education and work for millions and millions of poor Pakistanis, both Benazir and Nawaz spend their little time in office defending themselves against the cases, caravans, and long and short marches of the opposition. Both Mr. Nawaz and Mrs. Zardari would do well to remember that their years out of power far outnumber their days in power. You can not do wrong without suffering wrong. Treat Pakistani public like pawns and ninepins and you shall suffer as well as they. If you leave out their heart, you shall lose your own.
Instead of calling for another march, another anti-government drive, another election, and yet another chance to immortalize her father, Mrs. Zardari must remember what Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto actually said: "what is built on hypocrisy and deceit must finally crumble." It is evident that both father and daughter never took this message to their hearts. On him who scorned the world, the scorned world wreaks it revenge. He that despises small things will perish by little and little. No one can betray and yet succeed in cheating a whole nation time and again.
Every violation of promise and truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society. If Mrs. Zardari thinks she didn't lie on February 5, 1997 when she promised not to launch a crusade against the present government, what justification does she has now for calling mass protests. Why not help the government in the necessary reforms and changes and wait for some time so that they bear some fruit in a peaceful environment. Neither Nawaz nor Mrs. Zardari can accuse the other of mismanagement and corruption as both are emblematic of the forces that have brought Pakistan to low ebb. All they need to do is to show restraint and bring some radical changes in their attitudes. Instead of loot and plunder they must think of giving something to the nation. Elections and protest marches are not the answer. They must rise above their feudal roots, if they have any ambition to lead Pakistan ever again.
Despite the severe economic and political damage done to the country, if Benazir Zardari feels no shame in showing her desire to be the Prime Minister again through the long and short march tactics, all we can say is that for first or last she must pay her entire debt. Persons and events may stand for a time between her and justice, but it is only a postponement. She and all those like her must at last pay their own debt to this nation.
During the Watergate years, a famous American writer, Joseph Alsop, liked to say, "Politicians are like toilet fixtures. It is enough that they serve their intended purpose. They need not be beautiful." Voters reelected Richard Nixon in 1972 though he wasn't beautiful. But when scandal struck in 1973 and 1974, they decided he wasn't serving his intended purpose, and they pitched him on the trash heap. And the same happened to Benazir Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. The only difference is that she has twice been subjected to sharp popular rebuff, whereas Nawaz Sharif has had that distinction only once. And the biggest difference is the surprising statements from Benazir Zardari, who is predicting yet another poll this year.
Shamelessness has no limits in Pakistani politics nor is there any limit to the short span of our public memory. Taking advantage of both these factors, Benazir has recently announced an anti-government movement, which will, if it will, get underway next month from Faisalabad. Benazir confidently claimed that the "dark night is going to end soon as dramatic changes are to take place." Irrespective of her long journey from preaching the need of democratic to the newly espoused dramatic changes, all we can well remember are her statements that she made after losing elections in February 1997. According to the New York Times' John F. Burns: "She [Benazir] said she would not lead mass protests, as a common tactic by opposition parties, because Pakistan needed political stability for parliamentary democracy to survive"
(Wednesday, Feb.5, 1997).
Your Highness Benazir Zardari! You might be wrong in speculating that we have forgotten your loud and clear words: "We have had four [national] assemblies sacked. We've had politicians defamed. Enough is enough. I think we should give this country a breathing chance for parliamentary democracy to work" (The Wall Street Journal, p. A-21, Feb.5, 1997). In less than a year time do you think we've forgotten your promise not to destabilize the new government? Why are you calling the gullible masses to come to the streets again and why did you start predicting new polls this year? The problem is not election, the problems is what happens between elections.
Mrs. Zardari! You know full well that four national votes in the past eight years and your twice accession to the throne has not solved any problem. Every new election brought a new wave of corruption and in the intervals between the election opposition parties in parliament have been single-mindedly devoted to ousting the government. Last year's election was an election without shiny brights. It was yet another exercise in jaded disillusion. The real message of the historically low turnout was that Pakistani feel betrayed by all politicians. The real loser was Pakistani democracy itself, which has been ruled either by autocratic generals or elected but discredited politicians. This time the voters were clearly saying, who cares?
We don't claim that Nawaz is any better than Benazir Zardari is, as he has no better reputation when it comes to corruption and the abuse of power. But all we know for sure is that her sins in the office are not only way more than others but also made voters more disaffected with her than Nawaz. Moreover, with the politico-judicial conspiracies on the one and Army on the other side, Nawaz has so far got little room or time to prove that democracy can work and he can put the country on the right track. Instead of giving the country a breathing chance, Benazir is once again calling for long and short marches. We know that Benazir has entered Pakistani politics just to avenge the death of her father, but it doesn't mean that after looting millions and millions of dollars from its national wealth, she is still out there to cause the country an irreparable damage with the mentality that "if I can't, I would let nobody loot or rule Pakistan."
We believe that Pakistani people have enough experience of the corrupt politicians, who have been tested not once but twice in the office. Before what little is left of Pakistan disappears, they have to dissociate themselves from the looters and forget party labels, for whether it is Nawaz or Benazir they are the same leopard with different spots. It is not that Benazir has learnt little from her past mistakes, the fact is that she is still deeply wounded by the execution in 1979 of her father and she is out for settling scores with the people of Pakistan and Pakistan as a country. Death for Pakistan would be a poetic justice on her part.
Gullible party workers fell prey to her rhetoric but if the words had the fructifying powers of water, they would have brought bountiful harvests to our impoverished Pakistan. But instead of focusing on efforts to help develop the economy and trying to provide education and work for millions and millions of poor Pakistanis, both Benazir and Nawaz spend their little time in office defending themselves against the cases, caravans, and long and short marches of the opposition. Both Mr. Nawaz and Mrs. Zardari would do well to remember that their years out of power far outnumber their days in power. You can not do wrong without suffering wrong. Treat Pakistani public like pawns and ninepins and you shall suffer as well as they. If you leave out their heart, you shall lose your own.
Instead of calling for another march, another anti-government drive, another election, and yet another chance to immortalize her father, Mrs. Zardari must remember what Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto actually said: "what is built on hypocrisy and deceit must finally crumble." It is evident that both father and daughter never took this message to their hearts. On him who scorned the world, the scorned world wreaks it revenge. He that despises small things will perish by little and little. No one can betray and yet succeed in cheating a whole nation time and again.
Every violation of promise and truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society. If Mrs. Zardari thinks she didn't lie on February 5, 1997 when she promised not to launch a crusade against the present government, what justification does she has now for calling mass protests. Why not help the government in the necessary reforms and changes and wait for some time so that they bear some fruit in a peaceful environment. Neither Nawaz nor Mrs. Zardari can accuse the other of mismanagement and corruption as both are emblematic of the forces that have brought Pakistan to low ebb. All they need to do is to show restraint and bring some radical changes in their attitudes. Instead of loot and plunder they must think of giving something to the nation. Elections and protest marches are not the answer. They must rise above their feudal roots, if they have any ambition to lead Pakistan ever again.
Despite the severe economic and political damage done to the country, if Benazir Zardari feels no shame in showing her desire to be the Prime Minister again through the long and short march tactics, all we can say is that for first or last she must pay her entire debt. Persons and events may stand for a time between her and justice, but it is only a postponement. She and all those like her must at last pay their own debt to this nation.
