Amidst the din Lull before the storm in the representative institutions, the quarters that are supposed to speak have suddenly gone quiet. This sudden silence though has cogent reasons behind it but probably this is not the right time to go quiet. In this situation one cannot but think that there is so much going on behind the scenes that is not only keeping the real characters of the country quiet but also that such activities may be detailed and substantial enough to let reticence prevail. There is certainly an urgency now compelling the dominant structure of the state to look for an alternate governance structure as the experiment of slotting in a third force to neutralise the established political groups appears to be reaching its logical end that appears to be far from ideal.
The ousted from power political forces that were subsequently persecuted did mount a resistance to the continuous game plans of the dominant groups and somehow kept their chain of command intact despite many attempts to crack their discipline and disrupt their political associations. The traditional shifting positions of the dominant force have come full circle and that process was witnessed and its effects were borne by a generation of politicos that also came full circle though wisened and weather beaten.
The problem exacerbated because the political class started valuing the advantages of staying together and resisting the attempts of the other forces to dent its ranks. It was a frustrating new situation for the entrenched forces whose attempts to score a breakthrough like past came unstuck. Such an unlikely scenario was met with the only way forces of status quo know giving the use of widespread political engineering placing their proxies in the ruling coterie.
It is not beyond comprehension that the third force was assured that, once in the government, it will be provided all-round support including experts of every field. Unfortunately, here the assessment of the sponsoring forces was full of overestimation and the stuff they placed on governmental positions was tried and tested experts who had a record of not delivering on their tasks. The result was that a very tentative structure emerged dominated by the so-called experts that immediately fell in dispute with the winning political party as most of the policies they proffered were in variance with the political creed of the incoming government and its public promises.
The new structure crumbled earlier than expected and accusations started to fly. The rudderless dispensation was left with no option but to shift the blame and cover up its faults by issues that were highly populist in essence. Accountability, therefore, started ruling the roost initially supported by both the new regime and its supporters but soon it became apparent that it was again a misdirected and half-hearted approach. Actually the botched accountability drive gave a blanket cover to the so-called culprits as nothing came out of it.
In the current scenario it is becoming clear that the partners in governance have had enough of each other and they are trying hard to come unscathed out of this disaster. Keeping in view this situation the best option available to the erstwhile political forces is to remain quiet and wait for the current structure to cave in. Even otherwise these forces are aware that the dominant forces now want a quick way out and they still believe that once they make it conducive for a group to make a comeback it will rush back. Interestingly, the political players are now mature enough not to fall for this offer and they want the sponsors to first clean up the mess.
Moreover, the weather-beaten political forces have raised their ante to the level that may become almost impossible to be accepted by the dominant power. They may well ask for plenipotentiary powers possibly guaranteed by powerful interlocutors with iron-clad assurances. The return of the prodigal is no more the equivalent of NRO and it looks certain that hard bargains will be driven now. Any reconciliation may be based on profound premises aimed at changing the nature of relationships in the country. It may not be easily achievable and it may be resisted by the ever-changing perceptions of the dominant forces as their top decision-making echelon keeps on changing after a fixed routine that may entertain a different opinion. Moreover, the games go on and it is part of the thinking exercise of the dominant forces but it is susceptible to changing the goal post frequently.
It is not therefore surprising that political forces holding large vote banks are keeping their cards close to their chests. There is a policy behind the fact that some top politicians have chosen to be away from the political centre stage after they got bails knowing full well that political play is a long-term game and is not dependent upon service tenures. This is precisely the thought-process that is compelling the significant politicos to follow a wait-and-see policy. So it is just a calm hiding plenty of storms. TW
