NA-122 rewrites history
The NA-122 bye-election fever has few parallels in our strange political history. Even a casual drive through Lahore would leave one wondering if this were not general election season in full swing. But the rhetoric was more enlightening, if also far less appropriate. The notorious defenders of democracy came out once again – owing to their own specific reasons, of course – in defence of democracy. One came to the field to prove that much of what had happened was in fact fake. The other came to rubbish the claim of fraud. But neither presented anything resembling a manifesto, or a program for the people. They just insulted the other.
This should be one of the enduring lessons of today. Victory for one, it seems, lies in little more than loss for the other. There is little regard, really, for the fortunes of the thousands invited to campaign and vote. That, among other things, is why the usual suspects had such a field day. Considering the nature of the election competition, it was natural, in hindsight, for the N-league to sport Kh Saad Rafique and Abid Sher Ali as star speakers in their gatherings.
It is now for the people – many of whom took spirited parts in this election campaign – to figure out just what this sort of democracy and elections offers them. Does it really affect their lot whether N-league badmouths PTI more or vice versa? At the end of the day, elections and democracy are meant to associate the working middle class with the political system, since they have a relation of inter-dependence. But if politicians concentrate overwhelmingly on their own point-scoring, and races for power, the bulk of the people will eventually disassociate from them. Both PML-N and PTI may have had adrenaline filled campaigns, but both have also drifted further away from the people. Perhaps once this particular fever is over, both should look to reconnect with the true essence of democracy before the next general election comes up.
