Ha ha, in my blog post yesterday, I had talked about how these protests have at least led to the end of
dynastic politics in these countries, with Mobarak’s son Gamel out of the picture in Egypt, and Ali Saleh’s
son in Yemen. It is quite a story within a story in itself, and international media has been writing about it
too.
I came across this news item in The Slate magazine, a sort of young, humorous, but very insightful
publication of the Washington Post. They had linked the story from the New York magazine, and its
titled, in a very tragicomic way – “The Biggest Victims of Unrest in the Middle East: Dictators’ Sons”
Allow me to take the liberty of posting a few nuggets here….
Up until a few weeks ago, life as a dictator's son in the Middle East was pretty fantastic. In addition to
the unlimited power and wealth, you knew that you would never once need to fill out a résumé or grab
networking drinks with your friend's cousin — your next job was the presidency, whenever your aging
father decided he had finally tired of ruling the country for decades. You had all sorts of grand plans for
how you'd take everything you learned at that elite British university you attended and finally modernize
your ancient society (in ways that did not threaten your reign). But now, with the commoners causing a
ruckus across the region, that unique job security, and those dreams, have vanished.
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal, who had been groomed as his father's successor, has fled to
London, and it's safe to say that a seamless transfer of power shan't be occurring anymore.
A similar fate has befallen Ahmed Saleh, the son of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president of Yemen since
1978. The elder Saleh had long planned for his son, the head of the nation's Republican Guard, to
take over for him. But today, with a wary eye on Egypt and hoping to quell unrest in his own country,
President Saleh announced that he wouldn't run for president again in 2013, and neither would Ahmed.
Now how about starting something in our country to put an end to this sycophantic and patronage
based politics in our country? The Congress is holding the cards tightly to its chest on when and how the
Prince of the Gandhi family will be India’s next Prime Minister. I think they have taken it for granted that
it will happen, and it’s not a question of if but when.
I somehow fail to understand the psyche of the common party activist, may he/she be from any
party. What drives them to worship their politician so blindly that they choose to overlook the latter’s
incompetence, greed and the fact that dynastic politics is as undemocratic as it can get.
Rahul’s not the only princeling standing in line for something big, but the Parliament today is filled with
young MP’s who are their more illustrious parent’s children. Be it a Sangma, Yadav, Scindhia, Deora,
or Singh, they definitely didn’t have to work very hard to earn their chops in politics. In a way, India’s
politics mirrors the Bollywood of today, where today’s famous actors did not need to slog it out to
be famous or at least get a break. I believe most of these activists do not have the power to think for
themselves. I think they are happy just to be a part of something big, which gives meanings to their lives,
hence they will follow their politician blindly.
dynastic politics in these countries, with Mobarak’s son Gamel out of the picture in Egypt, and Ali Saleh’s
son in Yemen. It is quite a story within a story in itself, and international media has been writing about it
too.
I came across this news item in The Slate magazine, a sort of young, humorous, but very insightful
publication of the Washington Post. They had linked the story from the New York magazine, and its
titled, in a very tragicomic way – “The Biggest Victims of Unrest in the Middle East: Dictators’ Sons”
Allow me to take the liberty of posting a few nuggets here….
Up until a few weeks ago, life as a dictator's son in the Middle East was pretty fantastic. In addition to
the unlimited power and wealth, you knew that you would never once need to fill out a résumé or grab
networking drinks with your friend's cousin — your next job was the presidency, whenever your aging
father decided he had finally tired of ruling the country for decades. You had all sorts of grand plans for
how you'd take everything you learned at that elite British university you attended and finally modernize
your ancient society (in ways that did not threaten your reign). But now, with the commoners causing a
ruckus across the region, that unique job security, and those dreams, have vanished.
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal, who had been groomed as his father's successor, has fled to
London, and it's safe to say that a seamless transfer of power shan't be occurring anymore.
A similar fate has befallen Ahmed Saleh, the son of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president of Yemen since
1978. The elder Saleh had long planned for his son, the head of the nation's Republican Guard, to
take over for him. But today, with a wary eye on Egypt and hoping to quell unrest in his own country,
President Saleh announced that he wouldn't run for president again in 2013, and neither would Ahmed.
Now how about starting something in our country to put an end to this sycophantic and patronage
based politics in our country? The Congress is holding the cards tightly to its chest on when and how the
Prince of the Gandhi family will be India’s next Prime Minister. I think they have taken it for granted that
it will happen, and it’s not a question of if but when.
I somehow fail to understand the psyche of the common party activist, may he/she be from any
party. What drives them to worship their politician so blindly that they choose to overlook the latter’s
incompetence, greed and the fact that dynastic politics is as undemocratic as it can get.
Rahul’s not the only princeling standing in line for something big, but the Parliament today is filled with
young MP’s who are their more illustrious parent’s children. Be it a Sangma, Yadav, Scindhia, Deora,
or Singh, they definitely didn’t have to work very hard to earn their chops in politics. In a way, India’s
politics mirrors the Bollywood of today, where today’s famous actors did not need to slog it out to
be famous or at least get a break. I believe most of these activists do not have the power to think for
themselves. I think they are happy just to be a part of something big, which gives meanings to their lives,
hence they will follow their politician blindly.
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