No political voice for working class
Finally, the democratic nightmare is over for the masses in Pakistan. The PPP led coalition government which came to power after the 2008 general elections has completed its five years term, thus becomes the first elected government to complete its full term. The working masses took a sigh of relief to see the back of PPP led government. This was the worst ever government not only for the working masses but also for the middle classes and big sections of capitalist class. The government failed to solve or even minimise the problems faced by the working class and poor. The poverty has increased, the prices of essential daily used items including food has skyrocketing, religious intolerance and militancy has increased, Energy crisis has worsened, economy is facing the threat of meltdown, social crisis has intensified, unemployment and hunger is on the rise. The life of ordinary working class people and poor has become like living hell in last five years. According to the new UNDP report, Pakistan stands at 146th place out of 186 countries on a human development index, equal to Bangladesh and just ahead of Angola and Burma. Pakistan has one of the lowest investments in terms of education and health-it spends 0.8% of its GDP on health and 1.8% on education. The countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even Democratic Republic of Congo spends more on education and health than Pakistan. This report says that 49% population lives below the poverty line. The PPP led government did nothing to improve the situation for the large swath of the population. At the one hand working masses continued to suffer but on the other hand PPP leaders, their cronies and allies become billionaires. The loot and plunder of the state resources reached to the unprecedented levels. One corruption scandal after the other appeared in the media almost on daily basis. This undoubtedly was the worst performance of any civilian government in the history of Pakistan.
Interim Setup
The interim governments in all the four provinces and in the center have been installed to conduct the elections and to run the affairs of the state till the new governments came into power. The election commission has announced to hold the elections on May 11, 2013.
These interim governments have been selected by the ruling and opposition parties in the center and the provinces. This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that the interim governments are not hand picked by the establishment. In 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2002 and 2008 the interim governments were formed solely by the establishment led by military generals. Unlike the past, the election commission is also chosen by the both opposition and ruling parties. Establishment always used the election commission to rig the elections and to form the governments of their own choice. But this time the situation is somehow different from the past. The establishment also used these interim governments to make agreements with imperialist international financial institutions like IMF and World Bank in the past but this time the interim government has refused to sign any agreement.
There is no big controversy around the selection of these governments and election commission. The election commission is headed by a highly respected ex judge of the apex court known to be a honest, principled and un corruptible person, who stood against the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. The interim government in Punjab is headed by internationally renowned journalist and ex- Marxist Najam Sethi. Constitutional amendments and Supreme Court decisions have given new powers to the election commission. The Supreme Court and election commission has announced to disqualify the bank defaulters, dual nationals, fake education degree holders, and tax and utility bill defaulters. The superior courts and election commission seems serious to strictly implement the election laws and rules. The political parties have been forced to change their candidates in many constituencies. The election commission has also prepared a new computerised voters list after striking off nearly 20 million fake or double votes. The old voters list was a major source of rigging in the elections as it contains the unverified votes in big numbers.
Now the scene is set for the next general elections in the country. Even few months ago, it was not clear that the elections will take place on time. There was lot of doubts regarding the elections. The dark clouds of uncertainty and doubts have gone and stage is set for the general elections.
Political Vacuum
The already existing political vacuum in the country has further widened to the new levels. Clearly, the gap between the priorities of the ruling class and the needs of the working masses has been growing with every passing day. The state and the ruling class of Pakistan is now in a state where there is an almost complete disconnect between ruling class and the masses. This disconnect has resulted in a vacuum and chaos has simply walked into that vacuum. The vacuum attracts and sustains forces like Imran Khan and religious extremists. The vacuum also lets terrorists and other reactionary forces create even more chaos and than use that chaos in their favour.
Different forces on the right are vying to fill this vacuum and gain popularity through the right wing populist slogans and demands. In the absence of a strong left and workers movement the right wing forces has been able to make some gains in the sections of frustrated middle classes and the poor. The left and the trade union movement so far failed to play any important role. The workers movement is lacking political and ideological clarity, organizational strength, revolutionary leadership and the mass workers party with a clear socialist program and strategy to challenge the rotten and corrupt elite and system and put forward a class alternate to the millions of the workers, youth, women, peasants and the poor who are looking for an alternate.
The fear factor in the campaign
The election campaign has just begun. But intelligence agencies and ministry of interior has already warned that Taliban and other militant groups are planning to attack the important buildings in federal capital Islamabad and other cities. They are also planning to attack the leading politicians of different political parties. Many analysts believe that the election campaign might become very violent. Election related violence is common in Pakistan but this time the scale might be much bigger.
The elections in parts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KPK) and tribal areas, Karachi and Quetta are going to be more violent than the rest of the country. Taliban has already started to attack the possible candidates and activists of Pashtoon nationalist Awami National Party (ANP) in KPK and Karachi. The provincial president of ANP Sindh and Senator Shahi Syed has confessed to the media that Taliban groups in Karachi has forced them to close down their 30 offices in the different areas of the city. More than 300 leaders and activists of ANP in KPK have already been killed in last five years. It will be hard for the main leaders of the ANP to campaign openly in the public and address the small rallies and public meetings.
PPP leaders are facing the same situation in KPK province. This will be the first campaign in which PPP will be without a charismatic leader like Z.A.Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. Because of security concerns top PPP leaders like President Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will not physically participate in the campaign but will address the public rallies via phone while sitting at a safe place.
The situation in some areas of Baluchistan is also very volatile and dangerous. It will be hard for the candidates to properly organize their election campaign in these areas. The assassination of one or few top leaders can change the whole political scenario and situation can become much more volatile, chaotic and uncertain. This can also affect the results of the elections. The law and order situation will play an important role in the turn out of the elections. Low turn out will benefit the big parties and their strong candidates. High turn out will benefit the smaller parties and their relatively new candidates. The parties like Imran Khan’s PTI is pinning its hopes in the high turn out.
The changed mood
The mood in the society has changed since 2008 elections. In 2008, the vast majority of people wanted to defeat the pro-Musharaf forces in the elections. The people overwhelmingly voted in favour of PPP, PML-N and other anti Musharaf parties. There were high hopes that the new democratic government will work for their betterment and welfare and will change the anti poor policies implemented by the General Musharaf led regime. The failure of the PPP led government dashed these hopes. These high hopes have been turned into big disappointment. Even the democracy came into question as working class and poor are facing more problems and enduring more miseries compare to the Musharaf era. The some sections of the working masses might come out to vote in the up coming elections but less enthusiastic and with very little hope. Large number of people might not come out to vote and like to abstain. On average 55%to 60% eligible voters stayed away from the elections from 1988 to 2008 elections. That clearly means that majority of the population has no trust on this election process. This time around the turn out might be bit higher because of different reasons. One main reason is that some parties boycotted the last elections in 2008 but now they are contesting the upcoming elections.
There are sections of society that still believes that change can be brought through the elections. These sections will come out to vote either to vote for Imran Khan led PTI or Nawaz Sharif led PML-N to keep PPP away from coming back to power. Both PTI and PML-N will get protest votes from the sections of the society who are disillusioned from the PPP and its allies. The situation will become clear as the election campaign will gear up.
No voice for working class
All the major parties participating in the elections are representing the different wings and factions of the ruling class. They are all defenders of the rotten capitalist and feudal system. PML-N, PTI, PPP, JUI, ANP, MQM and JI representing the same forces of status-quo. But there is no mass party representing the working class and poor.
The big problem at the moment is the low level of consciousness and workers struggles. The consciousness is contradictory. At the one hand working masses wanted to get rid of the present system and there is wide spread anger and discontent in the society but on the other hand the working masses have no clear alternate to fight for. The working masses know what they do not wanted but they do not know what they wanted. They also lack the clear class consciousness at the present. It is true that the divide between rich and poor has increased to unprecedented levels and there exist the anti rich currents in the masses but it has not yet turned into a clear class consciousness. But undoubtedly the urge and thirst for the change has started to grip the minds of the working masses.
The present situation clearly manifests the need for the formation of the mass party of the working class and the poor. Working class needs a political alternate with a clear radical socialist program and a revolutionary leadership to further the struggle to over through the capitalist system and to establish a genuine workers democracy. The trade union movement and the left in the country have a responsibility in this regard. The time is running out very quickly to take such initiative. This is the most important task on the shoulders of the left forces and especially the revolutionary left. Socialist Movement is striving very hard to full fill this task.SMP urgently invites left groups and the activists of the trade union movement including the genuine trade union leaders to take the joint initiative in this regard.
The conscious intervention of the subjective factor in the present situation can change the objective situation quite quickly. The emergence of the working class movement can transform the whole situation.