Time for the President to bid adieu
http://www.gaash-online.com/articles/166/1/Time-for-the-President-to-bid-adieu.html
Faizah Gilani
Faizah Gilani is a London based Editor of Gaash-Online. She has specialized in History and Politics and Middle East Studies at Queen Mary University and SOAS London. By Faizah Gilani
Published on 08/7/2008
Mr. unpopular...President Pervez Musharraf. A man once described as charismatic and articulate is now seen as rude, arrogant, power hungry and frankly speaking, losing his marbles. The man who promised to bring Pakistan back on to the road of democracy and enlightenment has shown that his words were hollow. Instead, he has dumped Pakistan into a jungle of uncertainty and instability.
Time for the President to bid adieu
Mr. unpopular...President Pervez Musharraf. A man once described as charismatic and articulate is now seen as rude, arrogant, power hungry and frankly speaking, losing his marbles. The man who promised to bring Pakistan back on to the road of democracy and enlightenment has shown that his words were hollow. Instead, he has dumped Pakistan into a jungle of uncertainty and instability. There is absolutely nothing in the country that he has not meddled with. His biggest mess has been meddling of the constitution, which he has played with as if it was a game of chess. It is very obvious that Musharraf has acted unconstitutionally in order to satisfy the political ego. It is simply the power of power. Once someone gets a taste of it, they want more. This is clearly the case with the President, who is sitting on Pakistan like a snake on a treasure chest. A true friend of the Country would understand that acting in the interests of the Country may not necessarily be in their own personal interest, but needs to be done. Unfortunately, Pervez Musharraf still believes that what he is doing for Pakistan is in the Country's best interest. He seems to be living in his own bubble, which is why he does not understand the implications of his actions.
Musharraf has made some severe political blunders, which have hurt Pakistan very badly. One of them was his mishandling of Lal Masjid in 2007. The manner in which he handled it and the way he ordered the army was shameful and gave extremists ammunition. Violence following the Lal Masjid incident can only be blamed on the establishment and Musharraf's aggressive nature. The military have only one style and that is to attack. Musharraf is from a military background, which is why the onlyoption he came up with was to use force. He was heavily criticized but power gives arrogance and the President was arrogant enough not to accept his mistake. Lal Masjid will go down as one of Musharraf's failures but there are two more events that will come back to haunt him, and both events are interlinked. The decision for emergency rule and the Judicial crisis will be seen as two of Musharraf's biggest bloopers as President. His orders for emergency rule were mind-boggling and his decision to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was and still is laughable. The emergency rule was to scare people and to try and shift focus from his plot against the judicial system of the country. The Judiciary is vital to democracy and its job is to keep checks on the government and its policy making. At times that can also lead to friction between the government and the Judiciary but that is perfectly normal and healthy in a democracy. Unfortunately, when the Judiciary was doing its job, Mr. President felt threatened.
Not only was the removal of the Judiciary illegal, it has added to Pakistan's woes. It has definitely weakened the country and has again shown that the establishment can do anything it pleases in order to get its way, and to get others out of its way. The Chief Justice's stature has grown in the eyes of people due to his defiance whereas people's belief in the President has hit an all time low due to his terrible political blunders. However, keeping the Chief Justice under house arrest and locking up the Judges and political activists while terrorists are moving freely within the country is not a blunder, it is a crime. There can be no justification for such behaviour, not even allegations of corruption. Musharraf's explanation for his actions has been that the Chief Justice is a corrupt man. Despite these allegations, no concrete evidence has been given against the Chief Justice therefore as the saying goes; he is innocent until proven guilty. The treatment of the Chief Justice and his supporters has been despicable as well as shocking. The fact that Parliament has done nothing substantial with regards to the Judicial issue is a separate argument. The matter of fact is that Musharraf is to be blamed for making a mockery out of the Judiciary. One can only wonder who on earth ill advised the President into taking such a step and if it was his decision alone, it can only mean that Musharraf should have no role in the decision making of the Country whatsoever.
Whatever obstacles Pakistan is facing today, should be credited to the President and the President alone. He has played the roles of Judge Jury and Executioner for far too long and has been the one pulling the strings. Therefore there is no one he can pass the buck to. Today, Pervez Musharraf has a lot of explanations to give. And he also needs to explain why violence increased under his leadership. The rise in suicide bombings can only be linked to the political instability within the Country because a strong and stable government always sends out a re-assuring message to its people and has a positive effect. But the government's instability and its wrong decisions have created a dangerous climate. The killing of innocent lives can never be justified but the continuous trend in suicide bombings means that something is wrong at the top level and those sitting there should be held responsible.
If Musharraf had focused on issues that were in need of his immediate attention, such as the day to day concerns of the people, he would have saved face, and Pakistan. Instead, he indulged in issues that were not of his concern. His keenness to become jack of all trades master of none has left him red in the face. Yet he still will not budge. Despite his party facing defeat at the polls and the arrival of the coalition government, the President, although keeping a low profile, seems to be super glued to his power. The lawyer's movement has told him to go, opposition parties and figures such as Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have told him to go and political activists have told him to go, but he still does not want to wave goodbye. He had his cue to leave a long time ago, but seems to have missed the point. Musharraf surprisingly believes that if he exits it will cause problems for the Country, which he does not want. If he does exit and if it does cause any problems, will it really matter? The President has already caused many problems; another one will not make any difference. Dark clouds are looming over Pakistan, and the people only have their President to thank.
No one other than Pervez Musharraf himself knows when he will bid adieu to the political arena. But whenever that day will come, it might be too late. The political institutions of the Country have been meddled with and the entire system has become extremely messy. No wonder the coalition government has its hands full at the moment. Pervez Musharraf is an intelligent man and must be aware of the complicated web that he has made. It is a web he has entangled himself in and he knows it. He should have waved good bye when he had the opportunity to do so in a dignified manner. Now he is hiding in the background but he cannot cover his ears for long. The chants of "Go Musharraf go" may have died down slightly but that does not mean that he has been given a new lease of life. In politics you do not get many legitimate chances unless you forcefully create illegitimate chances for yourself. That is exactly what Musharraf has done. He had forced his way into power and has kept himself there with force. But politics is an unpredictable game. His only sensible option now is to quit.
If President Musharraf backs down tomorrow, it will not resolve the longstanding issues that are facing Pakistan but it will certainly be a step in the right direction. The President's post is not a vacancy that cannot be filled, and it is certainly not reserved especially for Musharraf. Any position related to the top level of a Country should contain men and women with open minds and broad thoughts. Not someone that believes their Country is still living in medieval times. Sadly for the people of Pakistan, their President has in the past implied that the people are backward and are inferior to those living in the West. Musharraf's thoughts on the people of Pakistan were revealed during the emergency rule, where he told the West that they should not judge Pakistan the way they judge themselves and that they need time to catch up. Time for what, to become civilized? This has to be the biggest insult for the people of Pakistan. They have been patronized by their President and have been degraded into little people in comparison to the West. Pakistan may be a developing Country in comparison to the West, but their minds are developed and Pakistan is a conscious society. And above all, democracy is not exclusive solely to the West. India is a classic example of a developing Country living under the roof of democracy. Therefore the President is not only giving lame excuses for the establishment's failures, he is trying to imply his people are cave men and women. It is nice to know that the President thinks so highly of his fellow Country men and women. At the same time it is extremely shocking that Musharraf is still hanging around, even if it is by a thread.
It was expected that Musharraf will exit once the coalition government settles in. Many months have passed now but we are still waiting for that grand exit. Although he is no longer as vocal and visible as he was prior to the elections, Musharraf is still lurking around when clearly he should not be here. The final day speeches of the long March by the lawyers showed that Musharraf has not been forgiven and that the anger and bitterness will not lessen. Yet he is still here. There have been quiet talks here and there about impeachment, yet he is still here. The PPP are playing their cards carefully and have not spoken about getting rid of Musharraf but the Muslim League Q of Nawaz Sharif has been more vocal about it. Whether or not the President is impeached is a different story and depends entirely on whether or not the government plucks up the courage to try and enforce it. But one thing is certain at the moment, Musharraf continues to hang on. His reputation has been badly damaged but he has been unable to quench his thirst for power. After all, that is what it is all about. It is power that corrupts.
The time has come for Pakistan to move on. And in order to move on, one must detach themselves from all old things and things that are unwanted. Now that time has come for Pakistan to detach itself from a defeated President and to show him the door. There is far too much clutter at the top and no longer any room for Musharraf. He has now turned into a controversial figure and carries too much baggage with himself. He instigated the judicial crisis, which has left people divided and bickering. He has disrespected the constitution, the foundation of any Country. And he has patronized and degraded his people by implying that they are not ready for democracy yet. It is funny how democracy was on the agenda when he wiggled his way to the top. All those promises are meaningless now but a man that does not honour his words is not worthy of being honoured. It is high time the President should pack his bags and move on. Only then will these dark clouds pass over and Pakistan will be able to move ahead as well.
Musharraf has made some severe political blunders, which have hurt Pakistan very badly. One of them was his mishandling of Lal Masjid in 2007. The manner in which he handled it and the way he ordered the army was shameful and gave extremists ammunition. Violence following the Lal Masjid incident can only be blamed on the establishment and Musharraf's aggressive nature. The military have only one style and that is to attack. Musharraf is from a military background, which is why the onlyoption he came up with was to use force. He was heavily criticized but power gives arrogance and the President was arrogant enough not to accept his mistake. Lal Masjid will go down as one of Musharraf's failures but there are two more events that will come back to haunt him, and both events are interlinked. The decision for emergency rule and the Judicial crisis will be seen as two of Musharraf's biggest bloopers as President. His orders for emergency rule were mind-boggling and his decision to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was and still is laughable. The emergency rule was to scare people and to try and shift focus from his plot against the judicial system of the country. The Judiciary is vital to democracy and its job is to keep checks on the government and its policy making. At times that can also lead to friction between the government and the Judiciary but that is perfectly normal and healthy in a democracy. Unfortunately, when the Judiciary was doing its job, Mr. President felt threatened.
Not only was the removal of the Judiciary illegal, it has added to Pakistan's woes. It has definitely weakened the country and has again shown that the establishment can do anything it pleases in order to get its way, and to get others out of its way. The Chief Justice's stature has grown in the eyes of people due to his defiance whereas people's belief in the President has hit an all time low due to his terrible political blunders. However, keeping the Chief Justice under house arrest and locking up the Judges and political activists while terrorists are moving freely within the country is not a blunder, it is a crime. There can be no justification for such behaviour, not even allegations of corruption. Musharraf's explanation for his actions has been that the Chief Justice is a corrupt man. Despite these allegations, no concrete evidence has been given against the Chief Justice therefore as the saying goes; he is innocent until proven guilty. The treatment of the Chief Justice and his supporters has been despicable as well as shocking. The fact that Parliament has done nothing substantial with regards to the Judicial issue is a separate argument. The matter of fact is that Musharraf is to be blamed for making a mockery out of the Judiciary. One can only wonder who on earth ill advised the President into taking such a step and if it was his decision alone, it can only mean that Musharraf should have no role in the decision making of the Country whatsoever.
Whatever obstacles Pakistan is facing today, should be credited to the President and the President alone. He has played the roles of Judge Jury and Executioner for far too long and has been the one pulling the strings. Therefore there is no one he can pass the buck to. Today, Pervez Musharraf has a lot of explanations to give. And he also needs to explain why violence increased under his leadership. The rise in suicide bombings can only be linked to the political instability within the Country because a strong and stable government always sends out a re-assuring message to its people and has a positive effect. But the government's instability and its wrong decisions have created a dangerous climate. The killing of innocent lives can never be justified but the continuous trend in suicide bombings means that something is wrong at the top level and those sitting there should be held responsible.
If Musharraf had focused on issues that were in need of his immediate attention, such as the day to day concerns of the people, he would have saved face, and Pakistan. Instead, he indulged in issues that were not of his concern. His keenness to become jack of all trades master of none has left him red in the face. Yet he still will not budge. Despite his party facing defeat at the polls and the arrival of the coalition government, the President, although keeping a low profile, seems to be super glued to his power. The lawyer's movement has told him to go, opposition parties and figures such as Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have told him to go and political activists have told him to go, but he still does not want to wave goodbye. He had his cue to leave a long time ago, but seems to have missed the point. Musharraf surprisingly believes that if he exits it will cause problems for the Country, which he does not want. If he does exit and if it does cause any problems, will it really matter? The President has already caused many problems; another one will not make any difference. Dark clouds are looming over Pakistan, and the people only have their President to thank.
No one other than Pervez Musharraf himself knows when he will bid adieu to the political arena. But whenever that day will come, it might be too late. The political institutions of the Country have been meddled with and the entire system has become extremely messy. No wonder the coalition government has its hands full at the moment. Pervez Musharraf is an intelligent man and must be aware of the complicated web that he has made. It is a web he has entangled himself in and he knows it. He should have waved good bye when he had the opportunity to do so in a dignified manner. Now he is hiding in the background but he cannot cover his ears for long. The chants of "Go Musharraf go" may have died down slightly but that does not mean that he has been given a new lease of life. In politics you do not get many legitimate chances unless you forcefully create illegitimate chances for yourself. That is exactly what Musharraf has done. He had forced his way into power and has kept himself there with force. But politics is an unpredictable game. His only sensible option now is to quit.
If President Musharraf backs down tomorrow, it will not resolve the longstanding issues that are facing Pakistan but it will certainly be a step in the right direction. The President's post is not a vacancy that cannot be filled, and it is certainly not reserved especially for Musharraf. Any position related to the top level of a Country should contain men and women with open minds and broad thoughts. Not someone that believes their Country is still living in medieval times. Sadly for the people of Pakistan, their President has in the past implied that the people are backward and are inferior to those living in the West. Musharraf's thoughts on the people of Pakistan were revealed during the emergency rule, where he told the West that they should not judge Pakistan the way they judge themselves and that they need time to catch up. Time for what, to become civilized? This has to be the biggest insult for the people of Pakistan. They have been patronized by their President and have been degraded into little people in comparison to the West. Pakistan may be a developing Country in comparison to the West, but their minds are developed and Pakistan is a conscious society. And above all, democracy is not exclusive solely to the West. India is a classic example of a developing Country living under the roof of democracy. Therefore the President is not only giving lame excuses for the establishment's failures, he is trying to imply his people are cave men and women. It is nice to know that the President thinks so highly of his fellow Country men and women. At the same time it is extremely shocking that Musharraf is still hanging around, even if it is by a thread.
It was expected that Musharraf will exit once the coalition government settles in. Many months have passed now but we are still waiting for that grand exit. Although he is no longer as vocal and visible as he was prior to the elections, Musharraf is still lurking around when clearly he should not be here. The final day speeches of the long March by the lawyers showed that Musharraf has not been forgiven and that the anger and bitterness will not lessen. Yet he is still here. There have been quiet talks here and there about impeachment, yet he is still here. The PPP are playing their cards carefully and have not spoken about getting rid of Musharraf but the Muslim League Q of Nawaz Sharif has been more vocal about it. Whether or not the President is impeached is a different story and depends entirely on whether or not the government plucks up the courage to try and enforce it. But one thing is certain at the moment, Musharraf continues to hang on. His reputation has been badly damaged but he has been unable to quench his thirst for power. After all, that is what it is all about. It is power that corrupts.
The time has come for Pakistan to move on. And in order to move on, one must detach themselves from all old things and things that are unwanted. Now that time has come for Pakistan to detach itself from a defeated President and to show him the door. There is far too much clutter at the top and no longer any room for Musharraf. He has now turned into a controversial figure and carries too much baggage with himself. He instigated the judicial crisis, which has left people divided and bickering. He has disrespected the constitution, the foundation of any Country. And he has patronized and degraded his people by implying that they are not ready for democracy yet. It is funny how democracy was on the agenda when he wiggled his way to the top. All those promises are meaningless now but a man that does not honour his words is not worthy of being honoured. It is high time the President should pack his bags and move on. Only then will these dark clouds pass over and Pakistan will be able to move ahead as well.