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  • Mother of all jokes

    Mother of all jokes



    By Ayaz Amir


    THE coming elections will be the mother of all elections. So declares the general-president. He takes good care not to mention that his own bid for another presidential term from the present assemblies, when their own term will be expiring soon thereafter, qualifies to be considered as the mother of all jokes. Yet this is the joke about to be played in all seriousness on the people of Pakistan.

    Soon-to-be-dead assemblies — although the uncharitable would say they were dead the day they were born — recycling a president-***-army chief who has been around since 1999 and giving him ‘constitutional’ cover, even as he clings to his uniform, is a joke with the Constitution and, if this be not too harsh a verdict, an assault on common sense. Yet we are being told that this is what the Constitution itself dictates, nay commands.

    All manner of constitutional experts, led by parliamentary affairs minister Sher Afgan Niazi, have been busy this past one year propagating the line that as the president’s term will be expiring in Sep/Oct this year, the government is left with no choice under the Constitution except to take a presidential vote from the present assemblies, no matter if these assemblies are about to walk into the sunset and oblivion just a month later, in November.

    Such passionate regard for the Constitution has seldom been seen before, that too from the policy-holders of a military coup. Talk of the devil citing scripture for his purpose. For the mother of all jokes sanction is being sought from the Constitution. This is not entirely surprising given the circumstance that no document in the world can have been more abused, mutilated and misinterpreted than the 1973 Constitution.


    General elections would matter, and truly deserve the accolade of mother of all elections, if the president was to be elected by the new assemblies. After all, in this contrived set-up it is the president who is the source of all power, not parliament which is just a showcase or the prime minister who, alas, is little better than a dummy. Indeed, President George Bush allows Nuri Al-Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq, more power than Gen Musharraf allows Shaukat Aziz. (Hand it to Shaukat though for remaining unfazed.)

    Trusting the next assemblies to ‘elect’ him? Unthinkable and therefore out of the question. Being no one’s fool, we can be sure the president will take no such risk. Pakistani saviours on horseback like dealing with certainties, not the unknown. The president may pride himself on his courage, oft proclaiming he is afraid of nothing, but we can safely assume his definition of courage includes everything else under the sun but not the risk of a free election, even a presidential election with its restricted electoral college.

    Our military godfathers, perhaps for good reason, have always hated popular opinion more than anything else. In 1971 they sacrificed half the country but were not willing to accommodate East Pakistani aspirations. Even at present, the military leadership can bend over backwards to appease India, in ways not always easy to comprehend, but it cannot come to terms with popular aspirations. Through struggle and sacrifice Nepal may have won a measure of representative rule but not self-proclaimed fortress of Islam, Pakistan.

    The president says that if his supporters are not elected in the coming elections, the country will plunge into darkness. Well, the lights go out whenever Triple One Brigade stationed in Westridge, Rawalpindi, marches on the capital to depose yet another prime minister. Not for nothing did the late Maulana Kausar Niazi say that there should be a separate graveyard in Islamabad for ex prime ministers, given their heavy turnover. So what darkness are we talking about?

    In any event, it’s not a little strange that the motley elements gathered in the nominal ruling party, the Q League — real ruling party being Army Headquarters — should be held up as the symbols of light. This makes the Q League president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of Gujrat, the biggest national beacon of all, almost a lighthouse. Trust the exigencies of military rule to throw up such bizarre analogies.

    General elections in the present situation can only produce another showpiece parliament and another dummy prime minister. Indeed, the political system introduced by the 1999 coup is designed only for the production of dummies, even if the PPP is foolish enough to lend one of its own for the prime minister’s office.

    Accordingly, the real test of light and darkness will be not the general elections but the presidential election. The presidential camp may be treating it as all sewn up and settled, with only the formality of it remaining, but this is not an accurate picture.

    For if the president wants to have it all his own way, insisting on getting himself ‘elected’ president from the existing assemblies, even as he keeps wearing his uniform, that could be the last provocation, a trigger for mass resignations from the assemblies. It may not happen because we know what stuff our opposition parties are made of, but at least the threat is there. And as long as it remains, the presidential camp cannot be at peace.

    Mounting a coup is the stuff of certainty. Contesting a genuine election, even if from a restricted number of electors, is the height of uncertainty.Power works wonders. With power at your disposal you can reach for the stars: crack a whip and make the political parties jump; conjure paper parties, such as the Q League, out of thin air; hold out a hoop for the holy fathers of the MMA to jump through, not once but repeatedly. Dressed in the robes of power even an ass or an idiot looks powerful and wise.

    But the great thing about an election is that for some time at least it makes even the arrogant humble. Going to someone and asking for his/her vote is an exercise in humility. If the general’s luck runs out (admittedly, a remote possibility) and he has to go about garnering votes for himself later this year, that too in uniform — a first for Pakistan because no serving chief has yet put himself to this challenge — we can safely assume that he will gain fresh insights into reality, a whole new dimension of things opening up before him. Call it the higher education: this is what elections impart.

    It will also be a moment of weakness for the president like no other since 1999, the opposition parties finally in a position to show some attitude. If the PPP’s terms for a settlement are not met, it could walk out of the assemblies. The PML-N will not be far behind. The maulanas, or those from the Jamaat-i-Islami, could do the same, erasing thereby from their masthead the charge of collusion or collaboration. Even if the government musters a majority, as it can easily do, with the electoral college in tatters the election will become a sham.

    I am not saying this is bound to happen. But it can. Provided of course the opposition parties remain focused and able to resist government moves to divide and conquer.

    Contesting or not contesting the general elections under Musharraf is not the issue. This will come later. The most important issue is the presidential election. Will the opposition parties be able to put up a united front or will they dance to the president’s tune? Will some form of principle be their guide or well-tested expediency?

    For the first time since the October 99 coup the initiative will be with the opposition parties, not the government. What they make of it will have a bearing on the question whether Pakistan has a democratic future or it is destined to live under variations of military rule.
    DAWN - Ayaz Amir Corner; January 12, 2007
    Mr Amir, though intemperate in jsi syntax, has very aptly summarised the Pakistani political scene.

    Given the past record of skulduggery and rigged election, cobbling up a majority with blackmail by the ISI as an instrument over tainted MNAs or by handsome payoffs or bribes if you please, this election will also be no different.

    Notwithstanding, it will be to the benefit of India should Musharraf continue to crack the whip over Pakistan's back since he is the most stable horse that one can bet upon.

    As far as Pakistan is concerned, democracy has never seen the day there. Therefore, it makes no difference. At least,because of the military whip being cracked, Pakistan is looking up, no matter what maybe the accusation that the Generals have their fingers in the till and are the true Maharajas of Pakistani polity and class!


    "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

    I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

    HAKUNA MATATA

  • #2
    The cool thing is, this is not unconstitutional. In fact to do the opposite would be unconstitutional. Is it fair? Of course not. But why should Musharraf be fair to his enemies?

    He's doing legal things in legal ways. They can always win the next elections get the majority support in the NSC and get him impeached. But so far, he's done nothing illegal. There is no such written law that the same assembly cannot vote twice for the President.

    Comment


    • #3
      Rigging is a powerful weapon of war of votes!


      "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

      I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

      HAKUNA MATATA

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Ray View Post
        Rigging is a powerful weapon of war of votes!
        Whoever loses would be crying foul and start yappin "rigging, rigging!". How do we avoid it?

        Comment


        • #5
          What Pakistan has always done.

          Avoid elections and have a military dictatorship! ;) :)


          "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

          I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

          HAKUNA MATATA

          Comment


          • #6
            I think if we followed the current road map we'd keep workin out the kinks little by little. Losers would have to learn to accept defeat graciously.

            I don't even believe the previous elections were rigged, all arguments for it are very weak. All the parties are allowed to work out on an election commission in Pakistan, that last holding straw about the rigging has been uplifted this time round. Next we'll hear, Musharraf hypnotizes voters on election day.

            Comment


            • #7
              Asim,

              Pakistan has ALWAYS been owned by the Military no matter what.

              It is the largest Industialist, the richest landlord, the enforcer of law ( items it chooses to enforce), Lord Master and Almighty. Polititians come and go as needed by the Army ( interestingly enough, no Admiral or Air Force Chief has EVER become Lord of Pakistan).

              So how do you get rid of that cancer??

              This is going to be another Mickey Mouse election! Heck, Mush even has predicted it!:)

              Comment


              • #8
                Pakistan doesnt have any other choice, sad but thats the truth.
                What's the difference between people who pray in church and those who pray in casinos?
                The ones in the casinos are serious.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Un believable. If we were to believe that Musharaff has absolute support of the Pakistani people and Pakistani lawmakers, what is he afraid of?

                  Pervez 2nd term from Oct.
                  Islamabad, Jan. 18: Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf will be re-elected for a fresh five-year term in uniform by October 15 this year, Pakistan’s information and broadcasting minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said here.

                  “The Cabinet was told that as per the Constitution, the National and Provincial Assemblies would complete their term on November 16. According to the Constitution, the President should be elected between September 15 and October 15, 2007,” the minister said at a press conference following the meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday night. The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Mr Durrani said: “The meeting discussed the constitutional provisions regarding maturity of the incumbent assemblies and the presidential term.”

                  To a question, he said: “There is nothing unconstitutional about the President’s re-election. We are doing everything according to the Constitution.” “The Prime Minister has clearly told the Cabinet that the government has upheld the Constitution throughout its tenure and it would take all measures to serve the masses,” he added. The minister said the coalition government would jointly contest the forthcoming elections on the basis of its performance during the past five years, and joint candidatures would be finalised after consulting the coalition partners.

                  The minister said the government has introduced a new political culture in the country and has also impressed upon the Opposition that there is no way other than “ballot power” for change of government. Now the Opposition is also getting ready for the general elections, he said.

                  He said the PM had also briefed the Cabinet about his recent visit to Afghanistan. “The government aims at cordial ties with Afghanistan as this is in the interest of both the nations.” During the Kabul visit, it was decided that Pakistan would host the donors’ conference on Afghanistan. Pakistan would also assist Afghanistan in finalising a master plan for the development of Afghanistan. Both the leaders also agreed on refugees’ repatriation, setting up of a jirga commission and drug control, the minister added.

                  Meanwhile, politicians and legal experts have condemned the Cabinet’s decision for re-electing President Musharraf through the existing Assemblies. Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Ahsan Iqbal said: “This is unconstitutional, undemocratic, and unethical.” He added that a Parliament with a five-year tenure could not give someone a 10-year tenure. “It is yet another rigging formula devised to deny the people a free choice ... and an attempt to perpetuate rule by the backdoor. It also shows that the Musharraf regime can’t face the people in a fair and free election. Musharraf has already violated the Constitution three times on the election of the President,” he said.

                  “The Opposition parties will block this move decisively and forcefully. A joint plan of action will be finalised at the APC (All Parties’ Conference) to rid the nation of the present setup, which has become a rigging machine,” he said. Talking to this newspaper, legal expert and Pakistan People’s Party leader Aitzaz Ahsan termed the bid to re-elect Gen. Musharraf “illegal and ridiculous.”

                  He said: “Getting Musharraf re-elected by the same Parliament is absurd and neither morality nor law permits it,” he said. Another PPP leader, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, said any attempt by Gen. Musharraf to get re-elected from the existing Assemblies will be met with stiff resistance, and the tactic of mass resignations might well be used to thwart it. Opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said illegal and unconstitutional ways were being explored to “fulfil Gen. Musharraf’s desires.” He said a meeting of all the Opposition parties would soon be convened and a joint reaction tendered on the Cabinet’s decision.

                  ----------------------------
                  Thursday, January 18, 2007 (Islamabad):

                  Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf could be on his way to a second term as President.

                  The Pakistan Cabinet on Thursday announced that he will be re-elected for another five years by the present assemblies just ahead of general elections later this year.

                  But it is not clear whether Musharraf will quit as the army chief.

                  Meanwhile, opposition parties have called the decision "unconstitutional, undemocratic and unethical."

                  The party that supports Musharraf, PML (Q), is in majority in Parliament. But the Pakistan President may face tough resistance from two of Pakistan's provinces where the religious alliance the MMA is in power.

                  Musharraf's government also shares an uneasy coalition with its partners, the MQM, in Sindh.

                  The president's tenure expires in November.
                  A grain of wheat eclipsed the sun of Adam !!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Wow, he knows the results even before they are held! What elections! LOL.
                    Karmani Vyapurutham Dhanuhu

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by texasjohn View Post
                      Asim,

                      Pakistan has ALWAYS been owned by the Military no matter what.

                      It is the largest Industialist, the richest landlord, the enforcer of law ( items it chooses to enforce), Lord Master and Almighty. Polititians come and go as needed by the Army ( interestingly enough, no Admiral or Air Force Chief has EVER become Lord of Pakistan).

                      So how do you get rid of that cancer??

                      This is going to be another Mickey Mouse election! Heck, Mush even has predicted it!:)
                      The military is not conducting the elections. It shall be the election commission.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Asim Aquil View Post
                        The military is not conducting the elections. It shall be the election commission.
                        And how independant are they really??? About as independant as they were during the referundum?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by texasjohn View Post
                          And how independant are they really??? About as independant as they were during the referundum?
                          Don't go upon hearsay.

                          No they weren't there at the referendum. All parties were given a chance to nominate and elect the body. This was a significant change made this time around. From the website of the Election Commission of Pakistan:

                          Election Commission of Pakistan
                          No Executive Interference

                          The Election Commission of Pakistan enjoys full financial and administrative autonomy and works independently of all government control.

                          The Election Commission performs its functions without interference of the executive. The Election Schedule for the conduct of General Elections as well as for the bye-elections is decided by the Election Commission or, as the case may be, by the Chief Election Commissioner.

                          The preparation of polling schemes, the appointment of polling personnel, assignments of voters and arrangements for the maintenance of law and order are under the control, supervision and directions of the Election Commission.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Yeah, so they say. Bhutto on the other hand is making some noise about the Pak system failing to register 20 million voters...
                            Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                            -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              So is it another 5 year term for Musharraf ? And will be smooth sailing this time?

                              Asim,

                              The Election Commission of Pakistan was decribed as 'flawed' by nearly every single foreign observer who were present in Pakistan at the time of that referendum.

                              Comment

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