Daily Times

“It would be folly to argue that the people cannot make political mistakes. They can and do make grave mistakes. They know it, they pay the penalty, but compared with the mistakes which have been made by every kind of autocracy they are unimportant” –Calvin Coolidge.

It may seem a little premature to some that the rumblings of an election campaign are being heard in the country. PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif is no more seen following a line where he could be accused of being a ‘friendly opposition’. Some political elements that boycotted the last general elections are also on the move, trying to carve a place for themselves and their political agendas in the incoming political set-up. The coalition government seems to be aware of the perils of incumbency and is therefore plotting a scenario where it could defeat the opposition parties once again — not an undesirable proposition for them. There seems to be a unique situation where the government has very little to show to the people of this country as far as its performance or its plans to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in Pakistan are concerned. On the other hand, the opposition parties, which are also trying to drum up support amongst the masses, have been focusing on issues that concern Pakistan’s foreign policy and the way the war on terror is progressing — issues that have little impact on the economic well being of a vast majority of people in this country.

The government and the opposition seem to be missing the point that unless and until they put before the people of Pakistan a rational and viable programme that will help improve the everyday lives of the poor, it may not be possible for them to win their support, notwithstanding what they have to say on the prevailing situation, both economic and security-related, in this country.

It has come as no surprise that Pakistan’s prime minister, Mr Yousaf Raza Gilani, has strongly hinted that his government was planning to create another province that will consist of vast areas of southern Punjab, the announcement of which will be made at an appropriate time. This seems to be a clever ploy at this juncture because there is indeed popular support for a separate Seraiki province. In case the federal government succeeds in establishing a new province, it may create a win-win situation for the ruling party. Already, the PPP has good support in southern Punjab but if this plan succeeds, it might become possible for it to win the maximum number of seats from the newly created province in the next general elections. However, in case the government moves ahead with its plan to divide Punjab to dent the political support of its main rival, i.e. PML-N, in this province, it will face a dilemma in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the demand for the Hazara province will gather momentum. It will become very difficult for the present coalition government to ignore that demand.

If we accept that all the major political parties have indeed begun their election campaigns at this early date, it would mean more political polarisation and more economic burden for the country. The recently announced budget is already beset with a huge deficit, which, along with poor economic growth, does not augur well for the economic health of the country. This, coupled with the attitude of donor agencies, particularly the US, is going to increase the burden domestically because there are no signs that Pakistan’s effort in the war against terror is going to achieve its objectives anytime soon. The failure of the government to tax the elite and impose agricultural income tax has been severely criticised not only by the economic lights in the country but also by the international community that has been helping Pakistan overcome its economic woes. It would have been in the fitness of things if the government and the opposition, while agreeing to disagree on certain aspects and policies framed for the economic emancipation of the people, had worked together on a broader spectrum so that it became easier for the economic managers of Pakistan to move forward by prescribing medicine that could have helped cure the economic illness of the country. Since that has not happened and a majority of people continues to reel under the economic burden, the time is fast approaching when democracy and elections may once again become irrelevant for those who see no light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

This does not mean that the situation has become hopeless because in several areas some progress has been made. And, if the government is to be believed, the people of this country may be able to see an end to load shedding in the next three to four years. The discovery of new gas fields and the construction of a gas pipeline, connecting Pakistan with Iran, will help ease the energy crunch being witnessed by Pakistan’s industry and domestic consumers alike. The people of this country are demanding and deserve immediate relief, which is not being provided to them by the government and no opposition party worth its name has laid out a plan that will relieve the burden or rather overburden that is now making the lives of the common man miserable.

One hopes that the political parties gearing up for the next general elections will not forget that if they want democracy to take root in Pakistan, it should be their paramount duty to ensure an equitable distribution of resources amongst the people of this country. The political parties must remember that at the present point in time a vast majority of the people have been enveloped by an attitude of indifference and they are not very keen to bring about a change through the ballot box. It will take some effort on the part of the political leaders of this country to convince the people that democracy remained their best bet. It must also be ensured that the will of the people prevails. Various policies that are framed by the government should adequately reflect the aspirations and desires of the majority in this country.

The present state of affairs strongly suggests, regardless of what the political leaders have to say, this country will have another hung parliament. It would mean another weak government, which will be unable to take proper decisions, once again leading to compromises that are responsible for the present economic and political ills. The question, therefore, remains whether the political leadership in this country has the charisma and the dynamism that is presently required by Pakistan to climb out of the precarious economic and political environment that has created an entire generation of pessimists. One hopes that as the political campaigns gain momentum, some productive and viable programmes will come out, providing an opportunity to the people of this country to select what they consider the best for Pakistan.

The writer is a freelance journalist. He can be reached at zarnatta@hotmail.com