Re: Unplugged With Guppies — Sa1eem
You are right. I also believe that MQM has serious image problem. To overcome that, MQM have to realise the problem and cause of problem, then after that they have to work the best way to tackle that problem.
My analysis and opinion: The problem, cause of problem and the way to tackle the problem are as follow:
Problem and cause of problem: MQM did not started as political party with intention to lead the country. I believe their creation was reaction to what was happening at colleges and universities of Karachi where local Karachi students were facing discrimination from government, administration as well as student political parties. There were votes but no voice so APMSO started. JT high handedness against APMSO pushed APMSO for help from communities outside colleges and university, and thus MQM started without any intention or preparation to become real political party. Those from outside Karachi who were taking Karachi and opportunities in Karachi for granted suffered and with it image of MQM suffered too.
It was later developments that made MQM a political party but all those initial struggles for rights and equality caused lot of image problem what always happens when people fight for rights and equality. When one community fight for their rights and equality and gets it, others who were exploiting suffer and with propaganda hate starts.
MQM tried to clear that image of a party fighting for rights and equality. But, those who own (I mean own, not lead) political parties in Pakistan are mostly feudal, tribal leaders and religious exploiters (Islam kay self-declared thekedars). These people do not care or even want to work for working class Pakistanis, and thus got worried about working class party infiltrating areas they influence, so huge and effective propaganda war started against MQM from all sides taking advantage of MQM earlier image (bureaucrats and military obliged them too).
How to tackle the problem: We know that it need iron to cut iron, and same is true about propaganda. It needs propaganda to overcome propaganda. Propaganda becomes more effective if truth is also there with propaganda, or propaganda is believable.
Thus to tackle the problem and improve image, MQM have to give clear and particular type of messages keeping in mind propaganda against them, and then countering those propagandas with public messages of awareness that:
1: Rich, feudal, industrialists, tribal leaders and religious thekadars wants to exploit and rule masses, but do not want to serve them, rather keep them poor and deprived, as it helps them to maintain their grip on masses.
2: MQM is not asking people to vote MQM as long as people vote candidates who are like them (like voters), are equal to them (voters) and are from working class. Anyhow, if they would vote MQM, MQM would do everything to serve them.
3: MQM do not care who rules the country (which party and whoever the Prime minister) as long as persons in power are ‘working class Pakistani’ just like voters.
4: MQM should give clear message to voters that MQM candidates would always be from ‘working class’ and would come from locality and Bradari from where they contest election (eradicating illusion that voting MQM means voting Karachi based ethnic party).
5: MQM should tell voters the importance of party leader not contesting election and party paying for candidates’ election expenses, making sure that voters realise why that is important in order to eradicate corruption from elected members. [Here, MQM can ask people to donate their local MQM body so that a candidate can contest election and work on their behalf in their locality]
6: MQM should do lot of awareness talks about how government could and should be able to change life of ordinary people, making sure that people realise the importance of their votes if they want better life.
7: Whenever people complain about facilities, police brutalities, lack of amenities, etc … MQM make sure to tell people that they deserve all this as they vote people who do not care about them.
And so on …