Refusing to break with feudal traditions
By: Farooq Tariq
Appointment of 19-year-old Bilawal Bhottu Zardari as
the new chair of Pakistan Peoples Party is an attempt to keep the feudal
traditions of politics in South Asia. The PPP central
executive committee approved the appointment of Bilawal Asif Zardari,
unanimously in its meeting on 30th December at Nuedero Sind.
He is son of Benazir Bhutto who was assassinateed on 27 December,
nominated him.
According to the will of Benazir Bhutto read out in
the meeting, Asif Zardari, husband of Benazir Bhutto, was to be
appointed as chair of PPP in case Benazir Bhutto is not there. However,
Asif Zardari then went on to suggest his son Bilawal as new chair.
A student of Oxford University, Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari is the eldest and the only son of three children of
Benazir Bhutto. Born in Pakistan but never lived here after
he went to school.
Asif Zardai will be co chairperson of PPP. By these
developments, PPP has effectively been again in the total control of
Bhutto family.
PPP leadership had kept the same feudal traditions
during the last 40 years of existence. After Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was
hanged on July 4 1979, his wife Begum Nusrat Bhutto took over. When
Begum Bhutto wanted her son Murtaza Bhutto to take over PPP in 1996, she
was deposed by Benazir Bhutto and became the life long chairperson of
PPP. Murtaza Bhutto was killed in a plice encounter in September 1996
while Benazir Bhutto was still the prime minester. She lost her power a
month later.
The executive committee meeting also decided to take
part in the general election of 8 January 2008 and rejected the
government version of the assassination. This was despite a massive
movement against the military dictatorship of General Musharaf. All over
Pakistan, hundreds of thousands have demonstrated against the
regime and all the banners and flags of the ruling Muslim League were
torn apart. The movement forced the Muslim League supporting General
Musharaf to hide everywhere from the public.
A move to boycott the general elections and an
announcement to launch a movement to overthrow the military dictatorship
by PPP leadership at this moment would have forced the regime to resign.
Instead, PPP leadership played on the massive sympethy waves to
capitalise through general elections under Musharaf regime. A pricious
moment of history to get rid of military intervention into politics by a
power mass movement has been lost by this decision to participate in the
elections.
By appointment of Bilwal Bhutto, PPP has refused to
break the feudal traditions of politics in Soutn Asia. It has kept the
undemoractic traditions of few families controling the politics. The
heriditic hegemony of politics has been kept and feudalism will be more
strengthen by this decision of PPP in general.
