Bringing the Change from Inside
By Adnan Gill
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Recently, BB showed strong reservations in joining the boycott of the upcoming elections pleading it was easier to bring a change from inside than resisting from the outside. Her critics dismiss her strategy as flawed and blame her for sanctifying the presidency of President Musharraf, who is otherwise considered to have come in power through unconstitutional means. They also view her motives with deep suspicions because they think she wants to come in power at any cost to recover her frozen wealth.
Usually, bringing a change from inside is a very effective technique. This technique has been successfully used by the American Jews and Blacks to win sympathy and benefits in their favor. But some political commentators argue such a technique is not applicable in Pakistan's case, because it works only in a mature political and social system that has been built on the foundations of honesty, trust, and goodwill. They believe Pakistani political and social system is still years away from reaching such a threshold. That is why Pakistanis cannot take the risk of taking BB’s words at their face value. Everyone knows, she has, if not billions, at least several hundred millions of dollars to be reclaimed from frozen accounts.
The infamous ‘National Reconciliation Ordinance/NRO’ only served to air such speculations. Political pundits believe, in all its likelihood, reclaiming her frozen wealth could be a strong enough motive for her to momentarily return to Pakistani politics. Therefore, it would be a horrendous mistake to give her another chance of returning to power.
Her critics advise the opposition to instead stay focused on the prime objectives of:
1. Restoration of pre-November 3 independent judiciary.
2. Removal of unconstitutional presidency.
3. Freedom of speech through a free and independent media.
4. Release of every single political prisoner and journalist.
Only such constructive changes will be able to restore the trust in the Pakistani political and social system to a point where changes could be brought about from inside. Till such time, the public needs to keep its eyes on the ultimate prize of the ‘right to pursuit of happiness’, and shun opportunist political leaders and their self-serving rhetoric. Consolation prize shouldn't be an option.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
