A party in the wilderness

One week after the May 2013 elections, I had lamented the sorry decline of the Pakistan People’s Party. The title of the column published in this space was: ‘Is the PPP still relevant?’ And that meant in the national context because the party was still dominant in Sindh.

Let me only quote the intro: “What had, for all this time, been a thread of scarlet in Pakistan’s political fabric is now fading into a strand of grey. That is what has happened to the Pakistan People’s Party in the tenth general elections held in this country. And therein lies a tragedy of Greek proportions”.

That sense of loss has deepened this week with the spectacle that was presented on the ninth death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. Some hope had recently been stirred in the projection of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as a young leader with the ability to make a new beginning. Though he seemed to be rather erratic in how he flexed his political muscles, many ‘jiyalas’ felt energised and optimistic.

But that impression has dissipated with how Asif Ali Zardari is asserting his command. Zardari, a former president of the republic, has decided to usher his son into the incumbent National Assembly through by-elections. This was the big surprise that was promised – as though Zardari, the shrewd operator that he is supposed to be, has checkmated his adversaries by this amazing move. In reality, the limitations of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s party have been further exposed.

Many questions have been raised by the moves that Zardari has made. His decision to return after 18 months was generally seen as some kind of a deal with the establishment and the present government since he had left soon after a speech in which he had, indiscreetly, attacked the powers that be. However, raids were conducted by the Rangers at the offices of his friend just a couple of hours before he landed in Karachi and the situation became somewhat murky.

Bilawal’s aggressive posture against the government and the threat to launch a long march to follow, so to say, in the footsteps of Imran Khan unless Nawaz Sharif accept some demands before the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto had raised the political temperature. Eventually, of course, the promise was not kept. This anti-climactic shift in the stance of the young leader has cast a shadow on the quality of his leadership.

As it is, the PPP’s prospects in Punjab had apparently not improved by Bilawal’s shrill histrionics. The decision now to enter parliament indicates a change in the overall strategy of the party. It is also obvious that Bilawal, despite his formal position as the chairman of the party, is not being able to step out of his father’s shadow. The PPP remains Zardari’s party; it is not the same party that was led by ZAB and BB.

In the process, politics in the country has increasingly abandoned a large section of the populace that was devote to slightly left of centre, liberal and pro-people policies. There is no national political party left to promote values that are associated with progressive, enlightened democracy. That original slogan of ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ fails to raise anyone’s spirits when it is raised by the present leaders of the PPP.

Incidentally, when Zardari arrived at the airport and then attended the public meeting at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, a new stock of songs and slogans that rave about Zardari was released. Perhaps the top leaders of the party do not have the courage to tell the supremo that this will not work. With all his accomplishments, Zardari does not have charisma.

It may be argued that the PPP has a solid base in Sindh and this could be the launching pad for a successful national campaign. One reason why this expectation is illusive is that the provincial government’s performance is so dismal. Besides, it has failed to establish its foothold in Karachi even when the seemingly fatal disarray in the MQM has left a vacuum to be filled.

In any case, the PPP in Sindh has its own characteristics. If you remember, ZAB’s political bastion was Punjab and the Sindhi landlords had only jumped on the bandwagon rather belatedly. Now, however, the nationalist impulse is very much in play, bolstered by the tragic fate of ZAB and BB. It was on the wave of sympathy for Benazir that the PPP had won in 2008. What happened in 2013 showed that the Bhutto phenomenon had receded – except in Sindh.

The PPP is now courting its previous adversaries in Sindh and looking for the so-called ‘electables’ at the cost of the party’s old guard. This kind of expediency will naturally hurt the feelings of the ‘jiyalas’ but in our political system, the leader is not to be challenged. And Zardari is a very determined leader.

It is difficult to forecast Zardari’s relationships with the establishment in the early months of 2017. The New Year has arrived at a time when some new political games are in the offing. Zardari is bound to be an important player, though his reluctance to go to the streets against Nawaz Sharif is meaningful. There is also the question of whether he will finally team up with Imran Khan to make a grand alliance against the present government.

We know that Imran Khan will be happy to find any reinforcement in his Panamagate protest but, for the time being, he knows what the game demands of him. The terminology is obvious. When asked to comment on Zardari’s National Assembly decision he said: “Like every ball is not played while batting, I am leaving this ball”.

The analogy of the parties playing a game leaves the people in the position of spectators; and that is something that the leaders do not understand. There is a dangerous disconnect between the leaders and the people they pretend to be representing. There was a time when citizens went to meetings and joined protests of their own volition. That does not happen now. Local leaders have to herd their supporters and we have some versions of ‘renting’ a crowd.

In addition, the leaders have no credibility. Thanks to news channels, their prior indiscretions are constantly played out as a flash back. Their energetic ranting creates little impact. More and more, politics provides us with comic relief in a life that is so hard to bear.

 

The writer is a senior journalist.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@

hotmail.com