- Compromises breed mafias and parasites
Candid Corner
Caesar: The ides of March are come.
Soothsayer: Ay, Caesar, but not gone.
William Shakespeare: “Julius Caesar”
Going by the ancient Roman calendar, ides would mean a day falling roughly in the middle of each month from which other dates would be calculated. But, ides of March assumed a special meaning associated with betrayal and treachery when the Roman Senate conspired to murder Julius Caesar, an act that was immortalised by William Shakespeare in one of his classics.
If one were to believe the grapevine, so treacherously anchored by stalwarts of the media and perpetuated by the lords of the judiciary, the ides of March could strike any day, every day. Such is the pernicious environment deliberately created by a conglomerate of the mafias whose future has been at stake ever since Imran Khan took over as the Prime Minister. According to narratives pieced together by these operators, mostly based on their bucket-lists, not a day has passed when a threat did not loom over the fate of the government, and Khan’s survival as the Prime Minister.
It is not just the mafias around who pose a threat to him. The mafias who sit with him as his coalition partners are even more poisonous, even more dangerous, as they pretend to be his associates and well-wishers. Principally, they are the MQM and the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. It is the very same people who swore allegiance to countless previous coalitions also. In essence, they are parasites nibbling away for their pound of flesh irrespective of the damage it may cause to the government. By going over the history of their past associations, one can evaluate that they were only their own friends and of their sinister motives. Consequently, their inclusion in the current set-up was never going to be smooth because, owing to the narrative which brought Khan into power, he could not render himself, and his government, vulnerable before their devious manipulations.
The most appropriate way for the Prime Minister would be to undertake a dispassionate appraisal of his team and see whether they are really up to the challenge that the country confronts. Sacrificing some of them at this juncture would not be too heavy a price to pay for creating a caring, beneficent and welfare state that he is so passionate about. The time to act is now before the venom spreads beyond remedy, beyond redemption
While the MQM’s link with Altaf Hussain, and his kind of politics, is a morbid reality as they remain wedded to the instruments of crime, corruption and banditry, the Chaudhrys are a conniving lot, always focused on what they must gain from such partnerships. From the very beginning, their eyes have been fixed on gaining the top slot in Punjab. Accepting the position of the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly was only an interim in that quest. They desired it at the beginning, and they still do. In the event they are not able to gain it, as appears to be the case at this juncture, their presence in the coalition would not be a cause of strength, but of perpetual gossip and upheaval.
Both of them have their respective options to ponder. The MQM in Sindh have the offer from the Chairman of the PPP himself to take ministries in the provincial cabinet in exchange for rendering help to dismantle the government of Imran Khan. The leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly did not lag behind in his blackmailing tactics, saying that their windows and doors were open to any offer of cooperation and they would be willing to discuss the prospect of giving the Chief Minister’s slot to Ch Parvez Elahi in exchange for support to hoist the PML(N) coalition in Punjab.
Much as one may want to moan over how low the benchmark of political conduct has been set, it is neither unheard of, nor was it likely to stay out of the bargaining permutations in the present times. As a matter of fact, it was ever more likely now and those who were not able to see the inherent danger while putting together the coalition need a visit to the soothsayer.
Yet another detriment has been the role that the judiciary has assumed for itself which is well beyond the parameters of its mandate. It is repeatedly encroaching upon the executive domain and obstructing it in implementing its agenda. Be it its activism in the matter of patronising the Sharifs and other corrupt oligarchies of the country, its interference in the appointment of people at various positions, or its unnecessary and opinionated proclamations of success or otherwise of state institutions, the judiciary is not only piling on its own chequered past, it is creating serious administrative issues for the government. There is no constitutional provision that warrants it.
The puritans among us may contend that the Prime Minister should move to dissolve the assemblies and hold early elections for a more decisive majority to be able to fulfil his mission without the inclusion of any coalition partners. That is easier said than done. There are numerous reasons for that, the most important being that the country is currently enduring the pangs of the reform process that the government has initiated which will bring people dividends in due course. But that time has neither come yet, nor will it be before the next couple of years. So, thinking of going to the polls at this stage would be a dangerous option not likely to yield the intended dividends.
But there is another way which can help in tiding over the difficult times that the government is presently confronted with. This is by improving the quality of governance by incorporating overdue changes among the group of people who surround the Prime Minister, and who have failed in contributing to the attainment of his laudatory ideals and bringing about a speedy transformation in the country. This would require a pragmatic evaluation and appraisal of what targets have not been achieved so far and why. Where do the fault-lines lie? Does the problem reside in the formulation of policies and their limitations, or in the inadequacies of the implementation mechanisms? Even more importantly, does this have something to do with the people who constitute the Prime Minister’s team today? Have they delivered on their avowed ability and commitment to his ideals and ambitions, or have they been but an albatross around his neck? And where do people among the coterie of his advisors, whose names have been tarnished, stand in this equation?
These are the contours of the gigantic challenge that the Prime Minister faces at this critical juncture of his tenure. There is no need to be overawed by the ides of March jitters, but time is definitely ripe for taking a comprehensive stock of what has been achieved so far and what still remains to be. More importantly, what are the constraints in the way of fulfilment of his agenda, and how best can these be removed?
The most appropriate way for the Prime Minister would be to undertake a dispassionate appraisal of his team and see whether they are really up to the challenge that the country confronts. Sacrificing some of them at this juncture would not be too heavy a price to pay for creating a caring, beneficent and welfare state that he is so passionate about. Compromising has bred mafias in the past and there is no other way it would be in the future either. The time to act is now before the venom spreads beyond remedy, beyond redemption.
