The high drama and the twitter users share rib-tickling memes in reply to Pakistan’s no-confidence motion.
In the midst of the chaos in Pakistan’s National Assembly, Imran Khan proved to have the upper hand today over the opposition parties, as a no-confidence resolution against his administration was rejected by the assembly’s deputy speaker.
In the midst of all of this chaos in Pakistani politics, netizens have started a meme fest to satirize. Imran Khan has been dubbed a “superstar” for his ability to hold off the opposition’s coordinated attack. Users also poked fun at opposition leaders, who had their hopes of becoming Prime Minister dashed.
But opposition is defined as ‘A person or group of people opposing, denouncing, or protesting something, someone, or another group’ is how opposition is defined. Opposition to the government’. Does this opposition even looks closer to the meaning of real opposition?
Political opposition is described as “the primary political party opposed to and trying to replace the party in power.” The last four words — attempting to replace it – are crucial. By default, they raise the opposition, giving them a sense of purpose and a persona that implies maturity, intelligence, insight, competence to lead, and devotion. After all, in a democracy, a political opposition is considered as an option to running the country. As a result, it should neither take itself lightly nor enable the ruling party to do so.
Is this opposition in parliament currently fulfilling this criterion? To admit that it does, one would have to be terribly ignorant. It is disjointed, filled with myopic self-interests, devoid of purpose, and far from mature. In its haste to condemn everything the PTI government does, it routinely raises doubts about its commitment to the country.
The opposition’s sole goal in parliament is to hinder and oppose Imran Khan and his government, which is making it increasingly useless.
PML-N, the main opposition party, is adrift and on the verge of extinction. The other , the JUI and PPP are unlikely to provide a significant challenge to Imran Khan in the coming years. By any measure, these parties are diametrically opposed.
These parties are not at all likeminded, lack a national footprint, lack a national vision, and are governed by regional concerns that are sometimes harmful to national priorities. Is it any surprise that they, as well as the ruling PTI, never take them seriously?
The question is whether the opposition parties can reinvent themselves for the sake of both the country and themselves. Do they have the courage to admit that their strategy of obstructing at all costs has failed them? Can they demonstrate the wisdom of throwing it aside and instead become a positive and motivated opponent? An opposition capable of unseating the ruling party!
The first step for the opposition in any such transition will be to acknowledge that the PTI is in power because it has the nation’s mandate and that Imran Khan is the Prime Minister of the country, which includes the opposition. These acceptances might be thought of as a precursor to any positive transformation of the opposition. By refusing to respect this democratic decision, the opposition has betrayed the nation. In the process, it has lost the trust of the public.
The second stage is to recognize that the opposition is a political party (or combination of political parties) that must be a viable alternative to the ruling party. As a result, it must be ready and organized to establish a government when the time comes. To attain this distinction, the opposition must work in tandem with the government’s operations. Opposition to specific government acts based on merit principles is commendable, but opposing for the sake of opposing is unhelpful. Unfortunately, our opposition in parliament has blinders that prevent it from seeing the government’s accomplishments. It is past time for it to recognize that the voters’ mandate plainly demonstrates that they trust the government.
Except for measures relating to elected representatives’ pay and allowances, the opposition opposes all government initiatives. It is critical that the opposition develop the ability to read the nation’s pulse and then take a positive approach. It’s past time for the opposition to speak up and then adopt a constructive approach. It is high time the opposition mends its ways. Today, with the continual slide of these parties, there is no political party or leadership of substance in the opposition that can act as a prime mover to rally others around it.
