By George H. Wittman on 10.25.07 @ 12:07AM
She's all for "democracy and moderation" -- knowing full well such things aren't part of Pakistan's political traditions. So what is she really up to?
The attack on Benazir Bhutto's motorcade was inevitable. If it
hadn't occurred on the day of her arrival, it would have happened
sometime later. It most likely will happen again if the history of
Pakistan is any guide. What is extraordinary is that she knew
something like that was bound to happen.
Mass political crowds, demonstrations and violence have become
part of Pakistani tradition. In fact this has been the hallmark of
South Asian democracy since even before the partition in 1947 and
the creation of Pakistan and India as independent states. The
amazing thing is that Benazir Bhutto, a lady of traditional
breeding and privilege, would be willing to return to such an
environment and seek to assume all the responsibilities and dangers
that political office entails in Pakistan.
To begin with, Benazir Bhutto, who already twice has been prime
minister, is extremely rich. Whether she inherited this wealth or
acquired it through illegal deals -- as Swiss courts and Polish,
French and Spanish authorities have alleged -- really doesn't
change the fact that she is, at the very least, a many multiple
millionaire, perhaps even a billionaire, if her enemies are to be
believed.
Why does a mature, highly educated woman (Harvard and Oxford)
with three children want to enter once again into the front lines
of the murderous conflict of Pakistani politics? Does she really
believe her oft stated claim that she must lead her nation to true
democracy, or is she simply driven to assume power by some form of
perceived family prerogative?
Her father, Zulifikar Ali Bhutto, was removed as prime minister
in a military coup and charged with many crimes including
conspiracy to murder. He was convicted and executed by hanging.
While there was an outpouring of sympathy from many world leaders
for the senior Bhutto, there was a consensus that he was not
totally without criminality. The conspiracy-to-murder charge was
considered far too convenient by many observers who thought it was
simply a device to remove Bhutto permanently from the Pakistani
political scene.
The real point of all this is that Pakistan's politics has
little history of peaceful democracy, and Benazir Bhutto surely
knows this. To state that "...democracy can save Pakistan from the
politics of extremism preached by warlords" as she did in a recent
column (Financial Times, Oct. 22, 2007) is political
tautology. It may be a self-validating statement pleasing to
unsophisticated masses, but hardly worthy of a Harvard graduate
with a cum laude degree in comparative government.
Interesting enough, though, the combination of Bhutto and
Musharraf as the "good cop, bad cop" prime minister and president
in Pakistan could provide a strong front against radical Islamic
influence domestically. Benazir's claims to democratic leadership
notwithstanding, the fact is that she maintains a powerful
political base on which she can always count in her family's home
province of Sindh.
Musharraf may be a muhajir -- one who immigrated from
India after the 1947 partition and not actually born in Pakistan --
but he does have his military and intelligence base and a
conspicuous ability to negotiate the complex political trails of
Islamabad's politics. In spite of at least four assassination
attempts against him, the general/president has shown an ability to
survive and continue to manipulate.
These factors may look good on paper and justify Benazir
Bhutto's belief she can return to a leadership role, but it doesn't
cast any light on why she would want to do so. The only logical
explanation is that Benazir Bhutto, aka Queen Benazir as her
detractors call her, is literally driven by a need to clear her and
her family's name by once again assuming power in her homeland.
Her friends say that she is a careful and analytical person, but
willful in matters important to her. Her courage cannot be doubted.
That may be so, and these may be characteristics acceptable in
business and even in politics in normal Western democracies, but in
Pakistan there is a high potential that these traits can result in
death long before one's time.
It is fallacious in an endemically volatile society such as
Pakistan to believe that "moderation and democracy," two words
Benazir Bhutto likes to use and may even believe in, will be an
effective countervailing influence against organized corruption and
power-driven actions of entrenched political forces. Perhaps that's
where her new best friend, the tough Pervez Musharraf, comes
in.
topics:
Business, Islam, Environment, Military, Pakistan
