Our guilty Prime Minister

Our guilty Prime Minister

The development that occurred in the Supreme Court on Monday was not much of a surprise. In its earlier rulings, the apex court had already opined that Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, prima facie, contemptuous of the court.

The Monday’s hearing was only the next mechanical step in the clockwork; the court said the premier would be charge-sheeted on the 13^th and that is what came about.

The government has had a history of treating the courts to a ‘go-slow’. The incumbent has to slow things down if it wants to use all the leverage. It can very well delay things by months on end before the proverbial dust settles.

Now the issue is about the premier’s retention of his office after he was charged up by the court in contempt of court case. He has an option to run the government from jail, yes the government can claim with several foreign observers putting in.

In the next stage, the proceedings on that will have to be routed through, as the speaker of the National Assembly and Election Commission could further delay the process.

One of the main problems is the prime minister’s unwillingness to go that way; he has made it clear he won’t hold the slot, if he was convicted by the court. However, he has an option to challenge the decision in the full bench.

In quite an interesting time, the great unwashed have to wearily put up with. Thrilling as they may be to the media and the clacking classes, they bring no relief to the pelting millions.

This is an incompetent government like the one before it, and the one before that. But the capacity of a government to govern has to be exerted, much like a brawn.

Incumbencies in this neck of the woods are either cut short or, in this case, constantly spent with governments watching over their backs for unelected players, who have never quite limbered up to this whole will-of-the-people thing, anything as an excuse to pack things up.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Feb 14 2012. Filed under National, Opinion, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.