http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/june-2004/4/main/top7.asp
‘It’s not over till the fat lady sings’
From Afzal Khan
ISLAMABAD-Is the party over for Prime Minister Jamali? May be or may be not. Going by the ferocity and tenacity of speculations and rumours that have gripped the capital during past few days, he may be gone after the budget, if not earlier. The long sessions by the Chaudhrys at the Presidency have fuelled these speculations.
There are reports that Monday’s 40-minute meeting at the Camp Office was fractious. That he was shown videos and files to frighten him. In return, he had his own material against his detractors. That was not enough to convince his interlocutor. At this stage he tendered his resignation, according to these reports or rumours.
The Chaudhrys are no more hiding their antipathy and disgust. The meeting, their close aides say, was focused on modalities for the shake-up. “The question now is ‘when’ and not ‘if’ there is going to be a change,” says a close confidant of Shujat.
A number of journalists also quote Jamali’s ardent supporter Shaikh Rashid that it may come after the budget. A comic situation was reportedly created by a young journalist who talked to the minister on telephone and extracted this statement. The prime minister then called the minister and confronted him with the audiotape of his conversation to the reporter, the expression on Jamali’s face was reportedly ‘Et tu Brutus’.
This debilitating, demoralising state of uncertainty, has spawned Jamali’s almost entire tenure barring a couple of early months and a brief breather after he was invited to Washington to meet President Bush. Only a person of strong or no nerves could have endured it.
And what has Jamali done to deserve this fate. Perhaps the precise reason is because he has done nothing and remained pliant and docile so far as the President is concerned. He is being punished more for his omission than commission. He is accused of being incompetent and inept. He does not know his onions, as they say, so the job was too big for his shoes.
The fact is that throughout his tenure, Jamali has remained trapped in a Catch 22 situation. He is damned if he does anything and damned if he doesn’t. If he stays ineffectual, he is accused of being incompetent. If he tries to assert his authority, it raises alarm bells that a Junejo in him may be coming to life.
Jamali had two occasions when he could display some grit and move to the centre-stage. First time it was in April last year, when Vajpayee made his famous peace overture and all vibes from New Delhi indicated that they would rather deal with a civilian than a military ruler. As Musharraf confided to editors in a meeting the same month, the General was ready to take the back seat and let Jamali lead the process from Pakistan side.
At about the same time, Musharraf had also been put into a tight leash by a very formidable and united opposition that had paralysed the system structured by him under the LFO. Also it seemed untenable that he should keep both his uniform and all-powerful office of President. The demand for shedding uniform resonated convincingly within and abroad and even in his own institution. This could have been Jamali’s defining moment where he could take the spotlight as Junejo did in the wake of Geneva Accord and brought all political forces behind him. On both counts, however, Jamali demurred and missed an opportunity that doesn’t come twice.
When Musharraf administered oath to Jamali, he declared he was passing on ‘responsibility’, (not powers) to the new chief executive. The perilous dichotomy has escalated since then. The overbearing President has ensured his omnipresence and omnipotence in all spheres of national activity. The Prime Minister is made to sit besides him in all the important meetings as a silent observer to demonstrate to the world who calls the shot. The cabinet he presides, is not his and includes at least half a dozen contenders who are after his job. The same is true of the parliament where he hardly has a group of his own that can stand with him in time of need.
In the process, Jamali has demeaned the office, not shying away from calling Musharraf as his ‘boss’ and describing himself as his ‘Personal Staff Officer’. The innate humility in him should have been a virtue, instead it brings humiliation. As is apparent, his self-effacement has been of little help.
The antipathy between him and the Chaudhrys began early on when Shaikh Rashid told him he would be committing great blunder by living under Shujat’s shadow and leaving the party under his control. He then made abortive attempts to capture the League by bring in line all Shujat haters in splinter PML groups behind his candidature for top party post. When Musharraf thwarted this bid, he offered himself for the secretary’s slot and was snubbed in time. In desperation, he proposed Shaikh Rashid’s name and could finally succeed only to have him as senior vice president in an overly crowded spot as one among the fifteen equals.
His nemesis, the President’s most trusted aide and troubleshooter in diplomatic, political and administrative fields, Tariq Aziz has been on it for pretty long. The simmering discord has now exploded and he and his friends from Gujrat are increasingly turning very aggressive, not hiding their antipathy toward Jamali. The media reports from journalists close to the Chaudhry, which triggered the latest bout of speculations, were apparently inspired.
Jamali on his part is giving the impression of business as usual. His aides believe he will survive by some stroke of luck. “It’s not over,” one of them was quoted by a friend as saying. “The fat lady hasn’t sung yet.”
So who is the next fall guy for mushraff to take blame for his failed system.