Though Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has been blaming the opposition of being driven by ‘March Syndrome’, he himself seems to have been caught with the Senate polls phobia and his move to create a media hype is like a pre-emptive move to foil the “Go Zardari Go” campaign being launched by the PML-N.
Interestingly, only a week ago, it was none other than Gilani himself who told a group of senior journalists that the government has planned to focus on Senate polls due in March next year by exerting pressure on the opposition and putting them on the defensive by blaming them for destabilising the democratic system.
However, political analyst Dr Rasool Baksh Raees says the March Syndrome was actually nothing but the guilt conscious of a person who had been the most corrupt person in the country’s history.
“Gilani is the most corrupt, incompetent and inept politician of the country’s history. He is frightened by the opposition and not the armed forces. The tirade against opposition for destabilising the democratic process is a traditional ploy of shallow politicians to present themselves as a victim to distort and twist the facts,” said the renowned analyst.
He said the PPP-led coalition government was facing a serious threat of none other than the masses who were taking to the roads against the government-created mess.
“Nawaz Sharif has launched ‘Go Zardari Go’ campaign while Imran Khan is also on the streets already. So, the public anger and not any army intervention is a real threat for the rulers,” he said, adding that the continued corruption, deteriorating law and order, bleeding public sector enterprises (PSEs) and mismanagement was a huge challenge for the rulers.
It was last Saturday when Gilani unleashed a outburst against opposition leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, accusing him of being desperate to weaken the democratic process as the Senate polls were approaching. He also told in an interview with Pakistan Today that it was unworthy of a national political leader like Sharif to provoke the masses to come out on the roads against the government, bypassing the democratic course and its institutions.
The following day – on Sunday – Gilani told Lahore Press Club audience that no miracle was in the offing and polls would be held on time in 2013. He said there would be no mid or short-term elections and those daydreamers, who want to take their turn, would have to wait for 2013 polls.
This March elections phobia continued in Gilani’s speeches for a third day when Gilani, while speaking at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), advised the media to shift their focus from politics to social issues, especially the youth.
“Media should not focus the politicians only, guessing when there will be new elections, who will be the next prime minister, whether the army chief will takeover or not or when the chief justice would take a suo motu notice. Instead you should promote students, education, health, and other issues related to the youth of Pakistan,” Gilani said while talking extempore leaving his written script aside.
On Tuesday morning, the prime minister told audience at Chalas that the March syndrome had overtaken the opposition. Though he was addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for Bhasha Dam, the premier opted to talk about politics rather than focusing on energy issues.
The same evening, while addressing the business community of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) at the Convention Centre Islamabad, Gilani urged the country’s private sector to come forward and takeover the control of the all PSEs, which were proving burden on national exchequer to rebuild the country’s economy.
Smartly playing to the galleries, Gilani also asked the business community to press those elements (opposition) to give democracy a chance who, he claimed, wanted to “destabilise” the government.
“I want to handover the Steel Mills to you people … you come and be my advisers and I leave it to you as best brains should handle the matters of Pakistan Railways and other bleeding state enterprises. I am ready to give these all to you whether you manage them or you advise me as the best brains should have these. But you should also ask those people, who want to destabilise the democratic system to give democracy a chance as democracy is the best system,” said the prime minister again speaking extempore.
“Now the people have understood those who play to the galleries … if a unanimously elected prime minister can’t steer the country out of crisis then who would do so … we have been elected for a specific tenure after what we will go the people for vote. If the people don’t vote for us, we will respect that,” he had said.
It would be wise from the prime minister not to carry this March Syndrome further as sometimes phobia takes physical shape and wreak havoc. Stability of the democratic system lies in mending fences, timely dealing with the rot and taking concrete steps to bring its house in order.