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Turkish Model & Principled Resignations
A section of the intelligentsia in Pakistan is swift to point to Turkey as a role model for Pakistan. For example, the constitutional role of the Turkish army - a cornerstone of NATO - in the polity of the country is presented as an appropriate paradigm to emulate.
But there may be another Turkish paradigm even more appropriate for Pakistani politicians and officials to follow.
The November general elections in recession-hit Turkey led to a clear-cut victory for the untried Justice and Development Party (AKP) headed by former Istanbul Mayor Tayyip Erdogan. The Islamic-oriented AKP won 363 out of 550 parliamentary seats. In the wake of their electoral slaughter, three former Prime Ministers who led losing campaign have decided either to quit politics entirely or to step down from their party leadership posts.
Tansu Ciller, Turkey’s first woman Prime Minister, quit after her True Path Party (DYP) polled 9.5% of the vote, short of the 10% needed to win seats in parliament.
Mother Land Party leader Mesut Yilmaz is dropping out of politics after his party polled 5.1%. Similarly, the noble and cerebral Bulent Ecevit, Turkey’s Prime Minister announced his decision to relinquish party leadership when his ruling three-party coalition failed to get a single seat.
Significantly, there were no post-elections squealing on the election process or its outcome.
In striking contrast, Pakistani politicians have been alleging rigging in the general elections of 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and now 2002.
It is revealing that those who led dummy parties to electoral disasters humiliating and embarrassing their families, friends and supporters (not to speak of themselves) are utterly shameless in persisting to pontificate on Pakistan politics. For them, quitting politics and apologizing to those who were led down the rose garden path is not an option. Rather, they continue to squat on valuable public space squandering public energies and resources through unfructuous rhetoric.
There are other equally unedifying examples. Both Lt. General Tauqir Zia (head of Pakistan Cricket Board) and Gen. Aziz Khan (Head of Pakistan Hockey Federation) continue on their respective posts after presiding over the most ignominious series of defeats in the once-proud history of Pakistan cricket and hockey teams.
The precedent of principled resignations is followed by few. One honorable exception was the resignation of the upright Lt. Gen. Tanvir Naqvi of NRB who left of his own volition without emulating the example of some of his ‘neat and clean’ cabinet colleagues who are now craving to join the heretofore despised ranks of ‘dirty politicians’ so they can be incorporated in the new set-up.
More need to emulate the Turkish model and leave the arena with grace and class.
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