Three Advices for the PML(N)
By Misbah U. Azam, PhD
Phoenix , AZ
A lot has been written and debated in the media and public forums about the performance of the top PPP leadership after President Zardari took oath as President. However, looking at the performance of PML(N) as the main opposition party too does not make one overly optimistic. Other than its positive role in the movement to restore the judiciary the PML(N)has so far failed to prove itself as the second largest national party in the country.
When the PML(N) joined the central government, people were expecting its leaders to behave like statesmen, but their decision of quitting the central government came as a disappointing development and gave the impression that the party is more concerned about its image and political future rather than the larger interests of the country. Their exit from the government gave a free hand to the PPP leadership to make decisions which to some extent are exclusively beneficial to the party’s leadership and cohorts.
For example, analysts and energy experts are very skeptical about the motive behind renting of power plants as calculations reveal that 2200MW from the rental power plants will cost taxpayers around $3 billion more in five years than the IPPs. Also, the Pakistan International Airlines, already under $1.7 billion debt and annual losses of $145, is planning to buy another fleet of 27 aircrafts! Surprisingly, the finance minister pledged that the government will not provide sovereign loan guarantees to any institution which would not demonstrate acceptable profitability. However, it seems that his voice was just a cry in the wilderness.
Most of the decisions taken by the government have been without encountering any significant challenge in the cabinet. If the PML(N) had figured in the central government’s decision-making process, such controversial decisions could not have been taken.
The PML(N)stalwarts often brag that they are playing the role of an “effective” opposition in the parliament after leaving the central government. However, on the issue of Musharraf’s trial, the leader of the opposition gave emotional speeches, but on pressing issues of high sugar prices, flour shortages, electric power shortages, etc. the public did not see any “effective” opposition from the party. True, the trial of dictators and their collaborators must be demanded to assure a smooth democratic process in the country, but besides that the opposition must appreciate that people have bigger issues in their plates. They want easy and affordable access to education, clean water, food, quick justice, resilient law and order and a vibrant economic environment. Now, people are fretting as they stand in long lines for flour and sugar; the insurgency in Balochistan is brewing; corruption is on the rise; load shedding is going on for hours but the biggest opposition party in the parliament so far is not very vocal. Some senior analysts and political pundits believe that the PML(N) is turning into the “friendly opposition” that the MMA was in the previous parliament. This may be true to some extent but the main reason for their apathy may not be the MMA syndrome but the over-cautiousness of the leadership because they may be foreseeing mid-term elections next year and are afraid of committing a mistake that may cost them dearly.
It is some consolation that the PML(N) is having a re-organization in the party and the intra-party elections are on the cards. This measure will surely revitalize the party at all levels and will be the first step towards
the intra-party democracy. Here are some suggestions for PML(N):
1.The top leadership should work to convince the people that they are not a regional party but a national party. For that, they should visit Pakhtoonkhwa, Baluchistan and Sindh – especially Karachi – and face the people on the streets. Nawaz Sharif should avoid making controversial statements like demanding a referendum on naming NWFP as Pakhtoonkhwa. Such irrelevant statements vitiate the atmosphere and give the impression that he has only Punjab’s interests in mind.
2. Pragmatic leaders of PML(N) like Javed Hashmi should assert themselves to curtail the influence of those emotional leaders who shed tears in TV talk shows on such issues as military action against the terrorists as well as those who give deadlines and label charges against other parties without providing any convincing proof.
3. History bears witness that people who stick to their words brought revolutions in the world. Quaid-i-Azam, Mahatma Gandhi, Ayatullah Khamini and Nelson Mandela are examples to cite from contemporary history. However, there is a very thin line between persistence and arrogance. Nawaz Sharif should look at the situation on the basis of ground realities; the ground reality is that Pakistan is not ready to publicly prosecute and punish its military chiefs – serving or retired. He should keep the pressure on the government to make sure that the 18th Amendment in the Constitution will assure that the COD would be implemented as it was signed. Let the ex-dictators and their collaborators be prosecuted by the people before they are brought to justice.
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