On “Deepening crisis”
Lopez, Maanne I.
Editorial and Opinion Writing
January 8, 2008
The December 29 editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer tackled about the “Deepening crisis” in Pakistan. I wasn’t aware of this news, but reading this gave me goose bumps. It’s so scary in Pakistan. The master mind behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto really wanted her dead. When I read that there was an assassination attempt prior to the killing, it sure gives a hint that they really want to take Bhutto’s life. She luckily survived the human bomb and car bomb last October however 139 of her supporters didn’t. The former Prime Minister didn’t manage to escape the gun shots after her campaign in Rawalpindi. Even she did, there is a Plan B, a human bomb, which killed 15 other people.
Now that she’s gone, Pakistan will be facing a deeper crisis as explained by the PDI writer, saying democracy may have to wait a little while more. Bhutto said in a commentary she wrote for CNN that her arrival to Pakistan posed a threat to the forces of extremism that have thrived under the dictatorship. She had left her party leaderless by her death. In a letter to a friend, Bhutto said that President Pervez Musharraf should be held responsible if anything happened to her. The editorial writer noted that the president cannot postpone the election for too long for it will only lead to a more serious crisis. Musharraf can take advantage of the situation and declare an emergency rule where he could exterminate his opponents. Terrible! This could spark protests and violence among Pakistanis, giving a great victory to the terrorists that killed Bhutto. The editorial writer said that the crisis in Pakistan now requires the highest statesmanship from its leaders, not political brinkmanship.
I was quite unsatisfied with the conclusion, and I disagree that democracy may have to wait a little more. I think this is the best time for Pakistanis to let democracy prevail. If the government can’t give the highest statesmanship the country needs, then the people should act towards the betterment of Pakistan. They should have a people power. Violence is not the answer to violence. Bloodshed will only give victory to the terrorists, but if the people would unite and voice out their plea to the crisis-sated government.
