Thursday, December 07, 2006

One Way to Win an Election


Late next year Pakistanis go to the polls to elect their first leader since Perves Musharraf seized power. President Musharraf, or perhaps General Musharraf, hell let's just call him President General Musharraf, plans to run. He also intends to see to it that his two closest rivals don't.

In an Indian television interview the president general warned Benazir Bhutto and Mr. Nawaz Sharif not to come back. Bhutto, he warned, faces arrest and Sharif will be sent back into exile in Saudi Arabia. That should certainly make the race a lot tidier for Perves.

And then there's the controversy over his uniform and whether he should don civvies. Musharraf admitted to being torn over what to do:

"It's not easy, because there are some perceptions. At this moment what Pakistan is facing needs a unity, a unity of command over important organs of the state that includes the military, the political… and the bureaucracy. A unity of command over them. The unity of authority over them. And I give that unity through maintaining the uniform," he said.

He also took a swipe at Pakistani politicians who want to speed up the election process:

"Now, this is the Constitution of Pakistan. So who the hell is doubting? Unfortunately. It's the people who call themselves democratic. They are trying to impose a dissolution of these assemblies by me, and they call themselves democratic. I am on the contrary saying this assembly must complete its tenure for the first time in the history of Pakistan. Who is more democratic, I don't know. I am a dictator. I am asking them to let the assembly complete its tenure but they are forcing me by all means. Nobody forces me. They are trying to."

Right on Perves, you sure are a dictator.

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