Unnecessary delay in convening Parliament

AS if condescending to give which is not due, President Pervez Musharraf says he would convene the National Assembly in a week and a half, as there would be “no hurdles to it”, but then predicates completion of its five-year tenure on good behaviour. “I promise if peace is maintained I will fully support the new coalitions. All parties should demonstrate prudence and focus on governance and this is possible only if all of them demonstrate peace”, he said, addressing a public meeting in Jacobabad on Friday. Paraphrased, he seems to be wanting the ongoing perceptional mismatch between the PPP and PML (N) over issues like restoration of sacked judges and cabinet formation, to accentuate undermining of their resolve to form a united front on the one hand and on the other to project his power, and will, to use 58 2(b). At the same function, the President also ridiculed proponents who see the army ‘distancing’ itself from him. That is what shows his comeback after lying low for a while. Expectedly, the opposition that had so thoroughly defeated his protégés in the recent elections, smelt a rat in his latest pronouncement. Even his own men like Wasim Sajjad find no reason for not calling the National Assembly into session, election results having been notified. Citing the inordinate delay that Benazir Bhutto encountered in reaching the parliament house after her first elections in 1988, political pundits say the establishment may be needing more time to reduce Asif Ali Zardari’s dependence on Nawaz Sharif in forming a coalition government. It bears repetition to say that the electoral verdict has gone against all that President Musharraf stands for - be it his ‘achievements’ in terms of economic development or foreign policy objectives or his politics wherein he nurtured a King’s Party. The people rejected his vision and legacy by voting against his protégés who were supposed to be working as his foot soldiers. And, since the elections the armed forces too have made abundantly clear that they would support the democratic process set in motion by the February 18 polls.
Forsaken amidst a political wilderness, he has anted up the threat of using his ultimate weapon, that is, 58 2(b) against a democratic dispensation should he find it working at cross purposes. Rightly then it would be the new government’s top priority to get rid of the infamous constitutional provision that puts a democratically elected government at the mercy an individual whose very position - elected as Pervez Musharraf is curtsey a disputed election - remains surrounded by a lingering controversy and who openly works to subvert the electoral verdict. Given that he sent packing an independent chief justice along with three scores of brother judges, sensing that his powers might be curtailed, what is the guarantee that he would allow a government of his erstwhile political opponents to work smoothly? It is not only the future of Article 58 2(b) that will come under sharp focus, the new parliament would also be pitted against a few other basic issues, including the fate of sacked judges. But an equally if not more crucial issue that the new government will have to face would be fixing broad parameters for the budget, an exercise never before undertaken under such trying circumstances as of now. From a purely non-political financial perspective, huge challenges confront the national economy in almost every important sector raging from increasing trade deficit to declining production to higher energy costs. It would take time to bring the economic activity back to the pre-March 9, 2007 level when the judicial crisis burst on the scene but some consolation would be in order if further loss of time and damage are stopped. Now that parliamentary elections have taken place and it is also clear as to who should be invited to form the government, even a day’s delay in convening the parliament cannot be excused, let alone waiting another 10 days to two weeks, to quote the President, for ‘majority parties to form a coalition government’.





Malaysia votes for change

IT IS indeed a “political tsunami” in Malaysia. People who predicted a comfortable win for the National Front, which has been ruling Malaysia since its independence, in Saturday’s elections have to eat their words now. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s ruling coalition has suffered a major setback, with the Front losing a huge slice of its majority in Parliament. This is being considered the worst performance of the coalition to date. Adding insult to injury, Mahathir Mohamad, who chose Badawi as his successor, is among the Malaysian leaders who have called for Badawi’s resignation. Mahathir, who ruled the country for a little more than two decades, has said the Prime Minister should accept his full responsibility for the poll debacle and for taking the United Malays Organisation (UMNO) to the brink of a political disaster. The UMNO is the largest group in the Front that also includes Indian and Chinese parties.
Racial tensions, which have been simmering over the past few months, can be counted as one of the principal reasons for the coalition receiving a severe drubbing in the polls. Last November, Malaysia grabbed headlines in the international media for the protests led by a few ethnic Indian organisations that threatened to destabilise the multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysian society. The demonstrations laid bare the fragile racial harmony in the country that boasts of one of the most vibrant economies in Asia. Not many people liked the ham-fisted way in which the protests were dealt with by the government. A significant portion of ethnic Indians alleged that they had been suffering racial discrimination at various levels as ethnic Malays, who contstitute about 60 per cent of the contry’s population, were apparently being given preferential treatment. The Badawi government also raised hackles among political or diplomatic circles when there were confusing reports on Malaysia tightening visa policies for Indian migrant workers. In addition to the racial issues, such factors as inflation also seem to have contributed to the Front’s defeat in the general elections. However, Badawi, who announced multi-billion dollar projects to tackle rural poverty when he took over the reins of power five years ago, has refused to step down. All in all, the poll results do show that people in Malaysia have voted for a change. And, more importantly, it will be incumbent on whoever is going to take charge of state affairs to address the racial issues and boost the economy.

—Khaleej Times