Kudos to Zardari for all he did, and did not

Perspective Shaheen Sehbai Sunday, September 08, 2013

WASHINGTON: When he inspects the guard of honour as departing president today, Mr Asif Ali Zardari would be wondering what he did wrong that he was now walking into almost a political oblivion, like the previous military president who also got a guard of honour out of the Presidency but had no place to go. For Mr Zardari never admits any wrong. He never did anything crooked. He did all the best things he could and he cannot understand why the people of Pakistan threw his party out into the cold in the elections, why the courts threw out his prime ministers, why his friends are appearing as accused and convicts in numerous corruption cases, why the media, some parts of it more than others, hounded him, why politicians who took favours from him are now shunning him, why his family members are reluctant to come forward to play a role in politics, why everyone blames him for not finding the killers of Benazir Bhutto, why, why, why. There is a beeline of columnists and analysts who are praising him for doing things for democracy, for the political system and for the country. I admit he did all those things but he did all those

right things for the wrong reasons as he never actually believed in them. He agreed to amend the Constitution and gave the presidential powers to the prime minister. When he did that he had in his mind that he would climb down like ZA Bhutto and quit the Presidency. That he could not do but once he gave away powers to the PMs, he never let them use those powers. So where was the genuineness in using them illegally by appointing dummies and cronies who would not lift a finger without a wink from the Presidency. From a direct control he went on to remote controlled democracy, a presidential system of sorts. So what Zardari did was to correct the system but run it in a crooked way, resulting in a failure of governance and the total mess that we see all around. I found a short story on the internet which depicts his style and what he meant by passing the 18th Amendment aptly. Jack stole the rabbis gold watch and afterwards began to feel guilty about what he did. After a sleepless night, he went to see the rabbi. Rabbi, I stole a gold watch, Jack admitted sheepishly. But Jack, thats forbidden, replied the rabbi. You should return it immediately! What shall I do? Give it back to the owner, answered the rabbi. Do you want it, asked Jack slyly. No, I said return it to its owner. But he doesnt want it, said Jack. In that case Jack, pronounced the rabbi, you can keep it. He claims he introduced reconciliation as the main policy plank to keep everyone on board to complete his term. That was a smart move but again with the wrong intention, a crooked one. He gave all political parties their share in government, (read loot and plunder), only to shut their mouths because he had installed so many cronies, personal servants, jail doctors, friends, messieurs, boot polishers, business partners, known tax evaders and law breakers, and let them loose on every sector. He did not

want anyone to object and whoever did, whenever, he threw some bones, big or small, to shut them up. Thats how reconciliation worked for him to let him complete his term. To institutions he threw bigger bones, in fact things which no elected president or government should have done. Extending the term of General Kayani for three years was one such payoff. Giving the judges the right to name other judges was another, obstructing the justice at every level to save himself from the deeds and misdeeds of the past, notwithstanding. The price he took from the system and the country for the concessions he gave, as president was enormous, in terms of money and in terms of corrupting and bringing the entire system to a halt. Huge influx of jiyalas, over 100,000, in police, intel agencies, state owned companies, corporations was a crime which caused the collapse of all these institutions. He takes pride in giving jobs but in a dying steel mill if he inducts 5,000 more workers, whom was he serving other than his petty political interest. Neither the mills could survive nor the new employees could get their wages. The scandals that broke in his time would remain unmatched and the courts will remain engaged for years sorting out who stole what and how. He raised the level of corruption to a point where stealing billions became the symbol of prestige and authority. Those who pinched millions were looked down. So when he claims kudos for his achievements as a democratic leader who kept the system running, what he did was to keep himself in power by making every compromise, no matter how damaging for the system. Governance plummeted to abysmal lows, all systems shut down and the country was left in a huge mess. Its enormity is visible on the face of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when he sits and looks blank before the cameras, having no clue where to start correcting the rot.

Mian Nawaz Sharif is right in giving him a decent farewell, as he, for now, wants to focus on governance. But will he save Zardari from the consequences of his failures? Not possible. People did what they should have done in the elections, throwing his party into the dustbin. The latest Geo-Gallup poll being published today also reflects the same sentiment. Now it is for the other institutions to bring him to account. Judging the precarious situation, Mr Zardari has taken the right political decision not to indulge in politics for the next five years and to seek mercy of Nawaz Sharif to protect him. This is politics of the best kind, but again the right thing for the wrong reasons. For the coming five years Zardari will have to defend himself, physically and financially, save his family and his assets and it will be a huge fight. The PPP will, in this fight, fall half dead on the roadside. Finally Sindh was the saddest thing for Zardaris Pakistan, which continues to fall behind in almost every provincial comparative benchmark because of poor governance. If there is any hope for Zardari and his PPP it is to save Sindh by finally having positive intentions for governing instead of politically compromising its way to destitution. It would be a pleasant irony that the last five years of suffering of Pakistan, leads to awakening for Sindh. Again even if Sindh is saved because Zardari delivers some semblance of governance in Sindh, it may be a service, for the province and for himself.