The Politics of Egomania

The Politics of Egomania

People have much higher expectations of their leadership in time of crisis. They want that their leaders should work together with a more responsible and purposeful way to eliminate Covid-19.  All political parties and their leadership must prioritized this issue over their politics as this epidemic would have very negative impact on our economy in coming few years.

Since the pandemic began; people had sky-high assumption that their leaders would be on one page but that has overturned after watching the parliamentary session, on the contrary, NAB has stepped up its investigation against the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif including Sharif family and the other opposition members and has been summoning them for interrogations on daily basis. There is likelihood that NAB may arrest Shahbaz Sharif after Eid. The opposition has turn all allegations levelled against them a pack of lies and reiterated its position that NAB is unleashing persecution on opposition members at the behest of government. Politics, it seems, is heating up in sync with the alarming Covid-19 situation. The conduct of the NAB has become so controversial that it is very difficult to believe that its actions are lace with partisan politicking.

It is the responsibility of Federal Government to develop a national consensus regarding the Covid-19 issue and keep all stakeholders on one page. The opposition parties have offered this cooperation to Federal Government but they have ignored their offers stated that there could be no truck with those who looted public money. In one fell swoop, the entire parliamentary membership was written off and the chance to evolve an inclusive policy squandered.

The party’s confrontational style of leadership helped to fire and mobilizes a loyal body of supporters who wanted to break from the ‘old politics’. Although government ostensibly aimed at easing out the current situation but its confrontational approach even in this hard time widening deep-rooted mistrust between government and people.

National consensus needs to be carried out rather than escalating political heated debate and media trials. However, neither side can be allowed to write off the debate of flattening the transmission curve of this contagious versus by pouring allegations on each other otherwise it would lead us to irretrievable consequences, similarly, the hardest hit countries, US, SPAIN, ITLY, CHINA etc.

Equally importantly, it will test our ability to come together as one nation. I ask the government on behalf of all Pakistanis to begin working with the opposition, which has ample experience in administration, including overcoming epidemics like the Dengue outbreak of 2011.

Even in the current Covid-19 outbreak, the Sindh government has by far been the most proactive and can share its valuable experience. Sadly, the walkout of the leader of the opposition Shahbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari from the all parties conference on coronavirus, only underscored the fact that consensus-building is not among the PTI government’s strong suits.

Had we a spectacular political unity, the Chief Justice of Pakistan wouldn’t take suo motu notice over Covid-19; passing up the policies of Federal government, is more aggravated for PM Imran Khan and his Cabinet.

However, extraordinary crisis calls for extraordinary action by the leadership irrespective of the political disagreements and the ruling party should not indulge itself in political feuding and the partisan conduct be suspended in order to fight with the contagious virus “Covid-19”

By: Hamza Khan

“The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those writersclubpk.com and its staff members”

The Author is a professional lawyer. He is a registered member of Writers Club Pakistan and his detailed profile is available in Writers Directory.