Mujeeb Ali Samo
This has been since decades in the history of Pakistan and even much earlier to it that the dynastic politics is being played in the country, which is not the essence of democracy in its definition. As we see – tradition of dynastic leadership in the political parties like PPP, PML-N, PML-F and even in certain politico-religious parties like JUI-F continue since long. The current ruling party PTI also consists of a large number of politicians having dynastic background. The PPP is led by Bhuttos since its inception in 1967. Currently, the novice chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the sole runner of the party having behind him, Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who manages the matters of the party until his son becomes a mature politician. And nowhere is the entry of his Aseefa Bhutto Zardari who had a debut address at Multan in the PDM Jalsa. On the other side, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, after his disqualification from the party politics, has forwarded his daughter Mariyam Nawaz as a sole runner of the PML-N. Here what confuses us is that are they our real leaders? Do they want to restore democracy in the country? The answer is ‘no’. The PPP and the PML-N are the parties of dynastic nature. They only hold the reigns of the party within the family. They take the important seats in government after the election. This is the set precedent of the record. PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif became the Chief Minister of Punjab and then the three-time prime minister. After that he gives the focal position to his brother Shabaz Sharif who became three times Chief Minister of Punjab. And now, senior Sharif is posing his daughter as a front contestant for the slot of Prime Minister. I question where the other senior political party leaders are? Why they are not electing the members on merit for the chairmanship of the party? These two parties have become dynastic in its structure. One after another family member is coming to hold the chairmanship of the party. Would you call it democracy? The findings of a study reveal that constituencies in Punjab and Sindh have the highest prevalence of dynastic candidates contesting the elections, while more than 50% of constituencies across Pakistan have candidates whose backgrounds are dynastic. Research also reveals that out of 272 National Assembly seats, about 140 (51.50%) were won by dynastic candidates, and this trend has almost been a constant since 2002. Hence, dynastic candidates have essentially preserved their majority in the National Assembly since the 2002 elections. The study further finds that constituencies with dynastic persistence have a lower number of contesting candidates as compared to constituencies without political dynasties. Realistically speaking the ratio in other areas of the country varies, as in the typical analysis, the constituencies in Baluchistan, which have a low presence of political dynasties tend to have a higher average number of candidates contesting in the election. However, Punjab and Sindh, which are highly dynastic, have a lower number of contesting candidates as compared to the rest of Pakistan. Furthermore, we found that constituencies from erstwhile FATA and Islamabad are, on average, more competitive in terms of the number of candidates contesting the election, while Baluchistan is the most competitive province in this regard. Within the Punjab region, constituencies in South Punjab are less competitive than that of Central Punjab. Democracy is only a shadow and name in its entity. This is mere deception to the illiterate followers. This culture and traction are also followed in our neighboring countries like India and Bangladesh. The true democracy we have observed only in the USA and other similar European countries. Such dynasties exist everywhere in the world regardless of the political system and the undercurrents of the existing political rule. Statistics indicate that the percentage of such dynasties occupying political offices in the Philippines is more than in any other country in the world, i.e. 60%. The numbers in other countries are: Pakistan 52%, India 29%, Japan 27%, USA 6.2% and Canada 3%. As noted in the May, 2013 issue of Herald, 597 families have monopolized the political scene in Pakistan since the 1970s. This trend of transforming the selective position to their family members in a political scenario is very disastrous for the people and the country. If this practice goes on then we shall have no able political leader on merit. This is merely a shift of legacy from one to another. The essence of democracy is to choose the leader of their own choice irrespective of his family linkage, but unfortunately in our country, we have a rotten system based on selecting the leader on the basis of the family. This is completely undesirable in civilized nations. We shall prosper and practice the real democracy in the country if we convey proper education to the people that choosing the right leader is possible to change their fate. Family linkage leaders are always acceptable in illiterate people and backward nations. We as a nation now have to change our mindset and stop following blindly the dynastic parties. Their ideology has disappeared from their manifesto.
-The Writer is a Columnist & Social Activist.