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Friday March 29, 2024

Leadership that deserted real PPP workers

By our correspondents
December 01, 2015
Studying the political history of Pakistan, marred by endless scandals, one is baffled at its utter senselessness. With all its foolhardy decisions and shoddy culprits, we come across periods that put forth the events in such a manner that nobody can recognise the real face of things. Such is the unfortunate case of the fall of a federal, liberal and democratic party— Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
There was a time when political power was in the clutches of a dictator and when 22 families had usurped the entire economic resources of the country, a man rose from amongst the people – for the people – and founded the PPP on November 30, 1967 on these 4 principles:
1. Islam is our faith
2. Democracy is our politics,
3. Socialism is our economy,
4. All power to the people
Later on “Shadat (Martyrdom) is our destiny.” was added as another dictum by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (Bibi) Shaheed.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a man with compassion for his people deep-rooted in his blood. He preferred to go to the gallows for the love of his people and democracy. His resolve in his values never wavered. His destiny was to awaken the people for a popular revolution against injustice, poverty and unfair distribution of wealth and power amongst few families.
He lived and died for his people and principles. His struggle for the common man and to end the status quo to give the poor Pakistani ‘roti, kapra aur makaan’ was the driving force of his politics and the motto of his party. In a short span of a decade before his death, he had made the PPP the leading political force in Pakistan.
His worthy daughter Benazir Bhutto, who emerged as a visionary leader, then carried the flag of his illustrious father and resuscitated the party for the people. She proved she had the intellect and guts of her father and she led the party with wisdom and humility, fighting and conquering her political foes with grace. She lived for the workers of her party and made sure the principles on which her father had founded the party were not corrupted. She guarded the party philosophy astutely.
We lament the day when Bibi was taken away from us and the party was left without any worthy leader to take her place. There was no worthy successor in sight and the future of this great legacy was suddenly uncertain, for the first time.
Within a matter of weeks, the party and its glorious legacy passed into the hands of a new band of opportunists. These were the people Bibi had deliberately kept estranged from the party and most of them were not even members of the party. They ran the party in a way that was absolutely different from how Bibi and her father had managed. The first step they took was to make sure they would maintain control of the party by all means. With complete disregard to the ideology of the party’s founder, they chose to adopt his name and use it to gain some measure of credibility. Their ambition was to dig the grave of this great legacy and to bury it alive.
The workers of the party have been asking many questions over the past few years, and unfortunately no satisfactory answers has come forth. Whither has this new leadership led the party? What has become of the country’s biggest, and possibly the only true, left-wing party ever made for the people? Senator Aitzaz Ahsan recently said in a TV interview that the new PPP has not only lost its credibility in left-wing politics, it has become more right than most right-wing parties in the country.
When Bibi accepted the challenge to lead the PPP, she committed herself to it heart and soul and revived the legacy of her father with the passion of serving her countrymen. She would meet the workers of the party, who are the real power of any political entity, with respect, love, and compassion. Many of us have witnessed countless meetings where she would meet the party’s lowest cadres and discuss party problems. This elated them and they gave feedback to their leader expressing unflinching loyalty to the party and its genuine leadership.
Does any of that happen anymore? The answer is a big ‘NO’. The current administration of the PPP has deserted the workers and its voters. The PPPP has recently lost local bodies elections on seats one would never think it could.
Since the sad demise of Bibi, the party workers have suffered the most. They have been left alone by the new leadership that behaves like royalty and deems it below dignity to even discuss their decisions with the workers. Leaders of lower ranks are not even included in any of the policy decisions and the worker waits for years together for any communication from the party leadership. Those closer to the upper ranks are not allowed to utter a word and any disobedience is dealt with punishment and force. This is how democratic the new Party has become!
The fact is that Party has lost its true destination and is only wandering in the wilderness while distressed and disillusioned party workers are witnessing the fading away of Bhutto ideology & legacy with agony .
They have great concern about the Party’s future. Seeing all this they are left with no choice other than leaving politics or to join some other party for their political survival. This is due to the policies of self imposed leadership and their colleagues and wrong political decisions that have eroded the Party’s popularity at all levels. This is the time to have serious catharsis and hold all those accountable who are responsible for the party’s downfall; but unfortunately no such signs are visible.
This is giving rise to grave concerns in the minds of real Party workers (Jiyalas) who had devoted their lives for Bhuttoism. They ask about their political future in the party? Where should they go in search of the light of Bhuttoism which owns the down-trodden and have-nots of this country and who strongly believe that “all power to the people “.
There is criminal silence to the question. I appeal to all the workers of the once great PPP to rise again as a united force and save the party. I urge them to realise that power still lies in their hands and, as long as they are willing to fight for their party and its legacy, they will always win back the glory they were destined for.