Recently, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) staged a grand show of its political might in Karachi to officially launch the political career of Bilawal Bhutto, a scion of the Bhutto dynasty. The political rally was attended by tens of thousands of loyalists and could perhaps revive flagging fortunes of the party. His much-hyped debut has once again fueled the debate of political dynasties and future of true democracy in Pakistan.
Political dynasties are not only unique to Pakistan. Traditionally, power has remained centered in a handful of families in other regional countries as well. From the Nehru-Gandhi lineage in India to the battling begums of Bangladesh, South Asia is home to some of the most well-known political dynasties. A prestigious family name is treated as an asset and can be very useful in starting an ambitious political career. However, success is not guaranteed as it may bring a burden of high expectations and political baggage of predecessors.
Unfortunately, these dynasties may exacerbate economic inequalities and hinder democracy by limiting access to political power. Parliamentary constituencies are inherited by each generation of these dynasties and run like a personal enterprise. The sole aim of governance becomes not to improve welfare of the people, but to maximize family wealth through whatever means possible. Weak state institutions, rampant corruption and political maneuvering ensure that there is no system of check and balance to usurp national wealth.
As a result of such poor accountability and justice system, it is no surprise that political dynasties flourish in some of the world’s poorest countries, like Pakistan. Yet, these political dynasties brand themselves as pro-poor and often undertake populist measures that the state budget may not be able to support.
Consequently, these parties may survive political storms as the masses continue to vote them to power. In the long run, sustainable development of a country remains elusive as these dynasties continue to extend their tenure and plunder national resources.
The emergence of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) as a national force in general elections of 2013 signals that people voted for change. In the form of PTI, Pakistan now has an alternative to the two mainstream political parties: The Sharif-led PML-N and the PPP. The PTI’s rise to political dominance has, of course, been boosted by the dismal performance of mainstream players. Turbulent internal party affairs and widespread corruption in PPP’s previous tenure seriously disillusioned party workers, and led to a significant decline in its mass popularity.
In a striking similarity with the much-criticized political dynasties, the PTI and other smaller political parties in Pakistan are based on policy ideas that reject the status quo. Although the PTI prides itself in holding intra-party elections, the truth is that the charismatic Imran Khan holds his party together. As founder of the party, he is likely to lead it for a long time to come. Without Khan, who commands great respect amongst his followers, the party may lose its stature and not be so politically relevant. Only time will tell whether the PTI will pass on power to familial heirs or allow other technocrats to assume the party’s top spot.
