There are lessons Pakistan’s political opposition would do well to learn
“Unfortunately our political culture is more prone to cynicism than healthy and constructive criticism which is a nourishing ingredient of a democratic set up.”
The sitting governments all over the world have the disadvantage of incumbency. The opposition parties try to belittle the achievements and policies of the ruling parties using the touchstone of their own perceptions and stated positions on particular issues, which is quite understandable in the democratic dispensations. However in the more established democracies the opposition to the government policies and strategies is more or less based on set democratic traditions in a way that it does not jeopardise the national interests. But in nascent democracies and in third world countries, like Pakistan, where no such traditions exist, opposition means denigrating the sitting governments – no matter how good their policies and performance is. Sometimes the focus is also on destabilising the sitting government – as has been the case in Pakistan.
There are also lobbies within both the political parties and society who are essentially hostile to the government and never let go of an opportunity to have a swipe at it or its leaders. And when this phenomenon descends into the realm of cynicism – which is a state of mind when people lose the faculty of distinguishing between wrong and right – those suffering from it invariably tend to look at the darker aspects of everything. Unfortunately our political culture is more prone to cynicism than healthy and constructive criticism which is a nourishing ingredient of a democratic set up.
The phenomenon of cynicism has been more pronounced in the Pakistani politics during the last four years, notwithstanding the fact that the country under the present government has been able to surmount some of the formidable and debilitating inherited challenges and these achievements have been duly acknowledged and appreciated at the global level.
The most appreciated and endorsed achievement of the present government has been the revival of the economy through prudent economic management which saw the GDP growth rate rising to 5.1% (highest in the last nine years) in 2017 from a dismally low rate of 3% in 2013. The latest endorsement of this reality came from the World Bank on last Saturday when it forecast the GDP growth rate climbing up to 5.2% during 2017, slightly higher to what the government has claimed. The bank has attributed this success to consumer confidence and fiscal reforms. Not only that it has also predicted GDP growth rate of 5.5% and 5.8% during 2018 and 2019 respectively, which is a very encouraging news. The prospects of progress and prosperity are much brighter in the future and the economist believe that the implementation of CPEC would add 2% to the GDP growth rate.
To be honest, the government has not only succeeded in reviving the economy but has also tamed the existentialist threat posed by terrorism and religious extremism to a great extent and the fight against this scourge continues with ever greater success. Karachi, notwithstanding sporadic flashbacks, has become more peaceful than before and gives a semblance of normalcy. Insurgency in Balochistan has been contained and every now and then we hear the news about surrender of the insurgents before the security agencies. The energy crisis may not have been overcome yet but the fact is that power outages have been reduced considerably and hopefully the country will get rid of this problem by the end of 2018 when all the power producing projects launched under the CPEC would add 10,600 MW electricity to the system.
“Karachi, notwithstanding sporadic flashbacks, has become more peaceful than before and gives a semblance of normalcy. Insurgency in Balochistan has been contained and every now and then we hear the news about surrender of the insurgents before the security agencies.”
The foregoing developments are almost irrefutable. But our opposition parties are not prepared to acknowledge them and are perpetually engaged in denigrating and belittling these achievements succumbing to their streak of cynicism. They are also engaged in the efforts to destabilise the government, particularly the PTI whose focus has been on political vendetta rather than on strengthening democracy and state institutions which are imperative for peace and progress of the country. The party has recklessly indulged in mud-slinging at the national and constitutional institutions and shown disrespect and lack of trust in them besides unleashing an un-ending smear campaign against its political opponents, particularly the person of the Prime Minister.
The intensity of the anti-government sentiment among the political opponents of the government sometimes blurs their ability to draw a line between their political motives and national interests and even security of the state which was visible during the Dawn Leaks issue and in the backdrop of the interim decision of the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, when the opposition parties in an attempt to have a swipe at the government consciously or unconsciously reinforced the narrative of the enemy.
Unfortunately the syndrome of cynicism among our politicians has been the bane of our socio-economic progress. Its continuity and refusal by the politicians to learn from the bitter experiences of the past, does not augur well for the country. The politics of self-aggrandisement must give way to politics of sanity, respect for the mandate of the people and an uncompromising commitment to national causes.
In the democratic polities the government and the opposition are supposed to promote the well being of the masses and reinforce the state structures and institutions, though they might differ on the modalities and strategies to achieve those objectives. The opposition is entitled to criticise the government policies and present better alternatives. However they are not expected to foment instability in the country for their narrow political ends or indulging in power politics to reach the corridors of power. Such machinations not only spur anarchy and disruption in the country but also constitute an affront to the ingenuity and mandate of the people. The opposition parties are therefore well advised to change course in the national interest and let the people be the judge. That is what democracy is all about. The politicians need to go back to the drawing board and study the contours of the map drawn by the father of the nation and the legacy bequeathed by him. Continued deviation from that course can have disastrous consequences for the country as well as the politicians.
