Published in DAWN: 05-03-08
CONSULTATION, cooperation and compromise are words which are a matter of political fashion these days. Joint conferences, mutual declarations and collaborative statements are overwhelming the media channels. History of distrust of political stances and postures has made us sceptical about this complete change of political heart.
While there has been a sense of relief at this rhetoric, there is also an apprehension that this happy merger and union of parties may be too good to be true, and the honeymoon might end as the race for parliamentary power begins.However, even if these are exaggerated postures of bonhomie between opponents, it is a healthy change of strategy and can yield many beneficial effects for setting up a new direction in the political history of this country.The leaders of all parties are displaying different leadership styles to leave an impression on the eager and awaiting public of being catalysts of change and saviours of national integrity, sovereignty and unity. Let us look at the leadership styles of each of these leaders and see if their new-found personal vision will be compatible and sustainable in the long run with the public expectations.Asif Ali Zardari: A man we all love to hate, has all of a sudden become the centrifugal force with gravitational attraction for all parties. Once viewed as the equivalent to the male form of Lady Macbeth who caused the downfall of Benazir, he has emerged as a grieving loving widower bent upon realising his departed wife’s vision. He is playing the role of the healer, the saviour, the unifier.His rhetoric is full of love and let bygones be bygones. He is opening his arms for all those who want to be part of a national reconciliation effort.However, in this over accommodating mode that he has gone into therein lies the suspicion of giving way to everybody and everything. His statements of calling the Q League ‘Qatil League’ have already changed into the familiar chant of no problem in collaborating with all and sundry. His stance on restoration of judiciary is evasive and nebulous and his philosophy on working with the president is highly debatable.It is this excessive acceptance of all good and bad which reveals hollowness in character, which, under different stressful circumstances may turn into compromising on promises and principles. Beware Mr Zardari; do not believe all is fair in war and politics.Nawaz Sharif: A man who has had a past record of swinging from a liberal to a conservative, Mr Sharif has been very vehement in his defence of the priorities of restoring the constitution and the deposed judges. However he is known to be more emotional and changeable than composed and resolute. His recent change of stance on participating or boycotting the election is a typical Sharif swing from one loud claim to the other.His party’s performance in the current election has surprised him as well, and made him go into this mould of being a man who is bent upon changing the history of this country, but the question remains that if he does not get the support of PPP on these two positions that he has taken, would he really have the courage to sacrifice positions of power, or would he once again swing his style from a man who will be the rule maker to a man who is a rule taker. While the upper two prospective leaders have been changing their leadership roles and styles, the following two leaders have maintained their styles in differing situations.Chaudhry Shujaat: A man who is more known for providing comic relief than actual political sense, he remains an unruffled character who believes that power comes with manipulation and corruption. He resolutely denies any wrongdoing and refuses to fall prey to the wily questions of the media.It is this stoic and unabashed stance which has led him to represent what is the worst in Pakistani politics, that is, complete disregard of ethics and absolute distaste for the truth. How long his nuisance value can provide political entertainment to the media, is now a question which is increasingly being answered as, not too long.Pervez Musharraf: If ever there has been a disappointment in the political history of Pakistan, it has been Mr Musharraf. He has been his own undoing. His vision of eradicating corruption and instilling law and justice has been rudely and crudely blown to pieces by his own behaviour. He fails to take responsibility and will fail to save himself from the ultimate disgrace due to this failing.He has violated the basic principle of leadership by preaching what he does not practise himself and by doing exactly what he claims he has never done.Take the example of dealing with corruption, cronyism, injustice and spreading democracy. He has gone back on each and every claim he has made. Till today he disclaims responsibility for all the wrongs that beset the nation.The point is, that if from terrorism to inflation, from corruption to nepotism nothing was his responsibility, then he himself is admitting to his ineffectiveness and ineligibility to handle the very issues his job description requires him to deal with. Thus he is making a case of political redundancy for himself.But one must give him credit for being consistent in his style of egocentric leadership where he will only see what he wants to see, and live in a make-believe world where all the surveys, media and public opinion are fictitious and petty conspiracies bound to fade out with time. However time is ruthless and it runs out fast for those who do not change their styles with changing tides.For all those who have gone before, and for all those who are waiting in the wings, a few words of advice. Leadership and sustainable leadership will only survive if it is principle-centred. Go back to the natural laws and you will find that the principle of integrity, equality and equity are the only ways of building up trust, confidence and respect in the eyes, hearts and minds of people.Whenever the deeds of these leaders do not match their rhetoric they will be writing their own political epitaph. The people of Pakistan have given a golden opportunity to these leaders to learn from their mistakes and reform themselves and help this nation become more disciplined, more united and develop more faith in their own power than be dependent on foreign powers — a revival of the principles of discipline, faith and unity based on the vision of our founder leader are the only true paths to peace and prosperity.
CONSULTATION, cooperation and compromise are words which are a matter of political fashion these days. Joint conferences, mutual declarations and collaborative statements are overwhelming the media channels. History of distrust of political stances and postures has made us sceptical about this complete change of political heart.
While there has been a sense of relief at this rhetoric, there is also an apprehension that this happy merger and union of parties may be too good to be true, and the honeymoon might end as the race for parliamentary power begins.However, even if these are exaggerated postures of bonhomie between opponents, it is a healthy change of strategy and can yield many beneficial effects for setting up a new direction in the political history of this country.The leaders of all parties are displaying different leadership styles to leave an impression on the eager and awaiting public of being catalysts of change and saviours of national integrity, sovereignty and unity. Let us look at the leadership styles of each of these leaders and see if their new-found personal vision will be compatible and sustainable in the long run with the public expectations.Asif Ali Zardari: A man we all love to hate, has all of a sudden become the centrifugal force with gravitational attraction for all parties. Once viewed as the equivalent to the male form of Lady Macbeth who caused the downfall of Benazir, he has emerged as a grieving loving widower bent upon realising his departed wife’s vision. He is playing the role of the healer, the saviour, the unifier.His rhetoric is full of love and let bygones be bygones. He is opening his arms for all those who want to be part of a national reconciliation effort.However, in this over accommodating mode that he has gone into therein lies the suspicion of giving way to everybody and everything. His statements of calling the Q League ‘Qatil League’ have already changed into the familiar chant of no problem in collaborating with all and sundry. His stance on restoration of judiciary is evasive and nebulous and his philosophy on working with the president is highly debatable.It is this excessive acceptance of all good and bad which reveals hollowness in character, which, under different stressful circumstances may turn into compromising on promises and principles. Beware Mr Zardari; do not believe all is fair in war and politics.Nawaz Sharif: A man who has had a past record of swinging from a liberal to a conservative, Mr Sharif has been very vehement in his defence of the priorities of restoring the constitution and the deposed judges. However he is known to be more emotional and changeable than composed and resolute. His recent change of stance on participating or boycotting the election is a typical Sharif swing from one loud claim to the other.His party’s performance in the current election has surprised him as well, and made him go into this mould of being a man who is bent upon changing the history of this country, but the question remains that if he does not get the support of PPP on these two positions that he has taken, would he really have the courage to sacrifice positions of power, or would he once again swing his style from a man who will be the rule maker to a man who is a rule taker. While the upper two prospective leaders have been changing their leadership roles and styles, the following two leaders have maintained their styles in differing situations.Chaudhry Shujaat: A man who is more known for providing comic relief than actual political sense, he remains an unruffled character who believes that power comes with manipulation and corruption. He resolutely denies any wrongdoing and refuses to fall prey to the wily questions of the media.It is this stoic and unabashed stance which has led him to represent what is the worst in Pakistani politics, that is, complete disregard of ethics and absolute distaste for the truth. How long his nuisance value can provide political entertainment to the media, is now a question which is increasingly being answered as, not too long.Pervez Musharraf: If ever there has been a disappointment in the political history of Pakistan, it has been Mr Musharraf. He has been his own undoing. His vision of eradicating corruption and instilling law and justice has been rudely and crudely blown to pieces by his own behaviour. He fails to take responsibility and will fail to save himself from the ultimate disgrace due to this failing.He has violated the basic principle of leadership by preaching what he does not practise himself and by doing exactly what he claims he has never done.Take the example of dealing with corruption, cronyism, injustice and spreading democracy. He has gone back on each and every claim he has made. Till today he disclaims responsibility for all the wrongs that beset the nation.The point is, that if from terrorism to inflation, from corruption to nepotism nothing was his responsibility, then he himself is admitting to his ineffectiveness and ineligibility to handle the very issues his job description requires him to deal with. Thus he is making a case of political redundancy for himself.But one must give him credit for being consistent in his style of egocentric leadership where he will only see what he wants to see, and live in a make-believe world where all the surveys, media and public opinion are fictitious and petty conspiracies bound to fade out with time. However time is ruthless and it runs out fast for those who do not change their styles with changing tides.For all those who have gone before, and for all those who are waiting in the wings, a few words of advice. Leadership and sustainable leadership will only survive if it is principle-centred. Go back to the natural laws and you will find that the principle of integrity, equality and equity are the only ways of building up trust, confidence and respect in the eyes, hearts and minds of people.Whenever the deeds of these leaders do not match their rhetoric they will be writing their own political epitaph. The people of Pakistan have given a golden opportunity to these leaders to learn from their mistakes and reform themselves and help this nation become more disciplined, more united and develop more faith in their own power than be dependent on foreign powers — a revival of the principles of discipline, faith and unity based on the vision of our founder leader are the only true paths to peace and prosperity.
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