Love for dynastyic rule is in the blood of people in Indian sub-continent. Whereas India has not been able to overcome the contagious zeal for Gandhi -family rule, in Pakistan installing a 19 years old teen to the supreme post of a supposedly democratic party has crossed all standards of ethical morality. Settling the succession issue three days after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the Pakistan People’s Party on Sunday anointed her 19-year-old son Bilawal to head the party. And PPP has decided to take part in next month’s general elections and has appealed that the elections not be deferred so that it could ride the sympathy waive.
Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari will be the co-chairman.
It remains to be seen whether civil activists will challenge this decision in the courts (age may be an issue if some bylaws have been laid for political parties somewhere in the legal corners of the country!)
Whereas this is purely an internal matter of a political party of a neighboring country and someone may well wonder why it seems to be such an unsettling issue to me! I would say that such kind of developmemnts portend a bad future for a civil society which aspires to come out of the shackles of extremism, fundamentalism and military rule.
love of dynastic rule – is it not true even for America where two from the Bush Family have risen to the political ladder and have become president. similar may happen if Hillary Clinton becomes President. Is there no one else left in either party for the post .