Like his mother, daughter of the East – Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal has no other choice than to adopt the profession of politics in Pakistan.
In political parties, there exists a culture of proving that one is more loyal than the king. Those who want to extract personal benefits have to prove personal loyalty and solidarity with the party chief as opposed to the political party’s ideology, its manifesto and its constitution. The politics of ideology and principle has vanished from the political scene which has blemished the fabric of democracy in Pakistan.
It is unfortunate that a constitutional article has been included in the 18th amendment which empowers the political party head to disqualify any member of the assemblies if he/she votes against the party lines while electing the prime minister, chief minister, giving the vote of confidence, money bills or amending the constitution. This implies that one is barred to vote based on conscience or persona thought. This kills the very spirit of democracy which requires debates and deliberation with dissenting views to find the optimal solution to an issue or problem.
I hope Bilawal follows the real norms of democracy and will reintroduce the ideological spirit of the Pakistan People Party which being the largest political party in the country has been representing all the federating units of Pakistan, Azaad Kashmir, FATA, it has more responsibilities than regional political parties. As he must also be aware that the new list of electoral rolls, have more females and young male voters than adult males, there is a greater need to attract the younger voters to join and support the PPP in the coming elections.
The world is changing fast. The first and second generation of Pakistan People Party has played their innings; the old leaders must now play the role of advisers rather than participating in the elections with little energy and credibility. New faces with new motivation would be key in strengthening the party for the next 35 years of PPP to serve the people of Pakistan and fulfil its founder’s promise of roti, kapra and makaan for every Pakistani and making Pakistan a welfare state as promised by Bilawal’s mother.
As she has left no choice for Bilawal than to pursue politics, he should implement her unfinished agenda to change the lives of downtrodden segments of the society who have been with the party since its inception and have proved their loyalty beyond doubts. They want to see opportunities for their children under Bilawal’s leadership which have been denied to them by those forces which do not want the Bhutto vision for Pakistan to be implemented.
Lastly, I want you to concentrate on economic issues faced by Pakistan because the future domestic and international politics would largely be determined by the economic standing of the country.
S T HUSSAIN
Lahore
