Cool and calm Gilani says he is his own man
************************EXCERPT*************************
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
By Talat Aslam
WASHINGTON: Passionate, confident and displaying a sense of calm satisfaction disconcerting for someone whose government is wracked by so many crises, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is at pains to paint himself as his own man and no one’s puppet. Talking to The News on board the special aircraft en route to his meeting with President George Bush in Washington, Gilani shows no signs of panic over the difficulties his government finds itself in.
Quoting profusely from figures as diverse as Winston Churchill, Mao Zedong and Ghalib, Gilani claims that his calm exterior conceals an iron will and determination. “As a great admirer of Churchill, I feel that you should be firm in your dealings with people but never rough,” he says. He believes that this strength should be used selectively or else it loses its efficacy. “Did I not order the release of the detained judges even before I was sworn in?” he asks with a sense of satisfaction. He also recounts his recent tough speech in which he had warned those thinking of using Article 58 (2b) against his government.
He lists all the positive steps he has taken since assuming office. When reminded that his government’s popularity graph has fallen sharply since February 18, he shows no surprise. He agrees that if he ordered the restoration of the judges tomorrow his graph would rise sharply. However, he believes that as prime minister he now has to look beyond personal popularity or playing to the gallery. He now has to think of the country as a whole, take people with disparate points of view along with him, and play it by the book.
He repeats the same message when he is reminded of the unpopular decisions his government has taken after assuming office, particularly the decision to increase the price of petrol. He insists that there is simply no option but to go for an increase. As prime minister, he says, he had to think not of cheap popularity but the country as a whole. The economy, he repeats, simply cannot afford to absorb the steep rise in international oil prices, which is a global phenomenon that has hit many other countries, including advanced ones.
Has the PPP now become the party of the establishment and has the PML-N stolen its thunder? Gilani is adamant that this is not the case. “I have always been anti-establishment and so has my party,” he says firmly. “We have suffered the most because of this stance.” He said that historically, the PPP has always believed in snatching power away from the establishment while the Muslim League has traditionally been interested in sharing power. He gives the example of the Punjab, where he believes the establishment has declared a virtual no-go area for the PPP for many, many years regardless of the party’s actual popularity.
Asked about the risk the PPP government faces in taking a firm stand on the ostensibly unpopular war on terror, when even most of its allies felt ambivalent about Pakistan’s role, Gilani insists that all the government’s allies were taken on board. He also hints that only the PPP could take this unambiguous stand because of the particular nature of its constituency. “Our constituency is the downtrodden, women, the minorities, the young and the educated progressive middle classes,” he says. “We do not risk losing votes by taking a stand against extremism because our supporters are by their nature moderate.”
Gilani said that he firmly believes in taking his allies along when making key decisions. He said that he always invites all four chief ministers as he enjoys the respect of everyone. “Who else enjoys the respect of all the key players?” he asks. He also points out his vast experience of politics at every level and his victories at the hustings over a period of almost three decades.
Asked about his feelings towards President Musharraf, who incarcerated him for five long years, the prime minister says he feels no personal bitterness towards him as bitterness can be a very destructive quality. Whether one likes it or not, Musharraf is the president and he has to rise above his personal feelings in interacting with him as the prime minister.
Refuting the widespread belief that he is not his own man but merely a rubber stamp prime minister, he insists he is no Jamali, who once claimed that Musharraf was his boss. He insists that everything he has done since he became prime minister has been done to restore the prestige and dignity of the office. Asked about the role of Asif Zardari, he points out that ever since he became prime minister he has never gone to Zardari House. Instead, Zardari has come to see him every time.
On the issue of the restoration of the judges, he is more philosophical than forthcoming. He does insist though that merely restoring the judges would not solve all the country’s problems overnight. Quoting Mao, he says that once you climb a mountain you may believe that you have achieved your goal until you see that there are many more mountains to climb ahead of you.
Defending his quiet style, he predicts that those who shout the loudest and most aggressively will not be around when and if the chips are down. Recalling his statement about the short distance between the PM House and Adiyala Jail, he has no illusions about the future should democracy fail this time. He, for one, is willing to offer the same sacrifice once again. Whether or not anyone else is around Gilani is absolutely clear that he will be around to suffer once again for what he believes in.