Dynastic Politics
Dynastic
politics is a kind of politics in which a particular family keeps control of
the political party or group on the basis of wealth, social connections,
reputation or influence. This dynastic politics is not only for top positions
but also has been noticed at
constituencies and even at Town level. In this pattern designations or
posts are simply inherited Thus such families remain in power corridors of a
country for years.
This nature of
politics is a phenomenon that has existed in many Asian countries for
centuries., There we have seen political power being transferred from one
generation to other irrespective of merit, qualification, intelligence,
character, age or experience. Another factor which has compelled voters for
years to follow traditional families has been their belongings to some ethical
or religious groups. 2
No doubt, the long rule of some specific
families Provided their countries a sense of stability and on economic, foreign
and social welfare fronts because of continuity in ideology, agenda and
policies. At the same time, the
particular families got strengthened themselves socially and financially to
control whole system and thus were able to retain power.
We here in this
article will try to have a broad view of western and Asian countries and try to
analyses the reasons, consequences and future trends of Dynastic politics.
Following countries can be termed as classic examples of dynastic politics.
India:
Gandhi family
is always labelled as symbol of dynastic politics. The family has produced
three Prime Ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi, and her
son Rajiv Gandhi. Now Rahul Ghandhi s/o Rajiv Ghandhi is leading main political
party “The Congress.”
Apart from
this, the Yadav family has been a dominant force in the politics of the state
of Uttar Pradesh for several decades. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was the chief
minister of Uttar Pradesh three times, was succeeded by his son Akhilesh Yadav
as the chief minister in 2012.
Pakistan’s politics is full of dynastic system. Bhutto family being
one of the most prominent examples. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who founded the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP), served as the prime minister of Pakistan in the
1970s. After his execution in 1979, his wife took charge of political
party. Their daughter Benazir Bhutto was
elected twice Prime Minister. After her
assassination in 2007, her son Bilawal Zardari Bhutto was announced chairman of
political party. Bilawal took the position during studies despite presence of
many well educated, experienced and seasoned politicians in party. Just few weeks after the assignation, Asif
Ali Zardari husband of Benazir Bhutto became the president of Pakistan.
Sharif family
is another example of being old player of Pakistani politics. Nawaz Sharif
became Prime Minister thrice despite many corruption charges. His brother ruled
Punjab the biggest province for many years. In April 2022, he became Prime
Minister because of controversial Regime change while he faced severe money
laundering court cases. His son Hamza Shebaz became chief Minister of Punjab.
Marriyum Nawaz daughter of Nawaz Sharif is very much active in politics. Her
son Junaid Safdar is getting ready to contest upcoming general elections.
Wali Khan,
Molana Fazal Rehman families have also been in politics since last several
years and enjoyed many key posts.
The Zhou
Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) was the longest dynasty in Chinese history, and power
was passed down through the family for over eight centuries. Han Dynasty (206
BCE-220 CE) established a system of hereditary rule that lasted for over 400
years.
The Tang
Dynasty (618-907 CE). The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) was founded by a peasant
who overthrew the previous Yuan dynasty, and lasted for over 250 years.
Marcos &
Aquino families have ruled just because of dynastic politics. Ferdinand Marcos,
who served as the president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, was succeeded
by his wife Imelda Marcos and their children were also involved in politics.
Imee Marcos served as the governor of the province of Ilocos Norte, while her
brother Bongbong Marcos served as a senator and later ran for vice president in
2016.
Corazon Aquino
a member of Aquino family who served as the president of the Philippines from
1986 to 1992, was succeeded by her son Benigno Aquino III, who served as the
president from 2010 to 2016.
Dynastic
politics is also prevalent in Indonesia Suharto main member of Suharto
family served as the president of
Indonesia from 1967 to 1998, was succeeded by his son-in-law Prabowo Subianto
in the military. In recent years, Prabowo Subianto has been involved in
Indonesian politics and ran for president in 2014 and 2019.
the Widodo
family is another example. Joko Widodo, who served as the governor of Jakarta,
was elected as the president of Indonesia in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019.
His son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was elected as the mayor of Solo, a city in
central Java, in 2020.
the Rahman
family have taken full advantage of dynastic politics.
Another example is the Lee family in
Singapore, which has produced three Prime Ministers, Lee Kuan Yew, his son Lee
Hsien Loong, and his grandson Li Hongyi.
The Tokugawa
Shogunate (1603-1867) was a feudal government that held power in Japan for over
250 years.
The Minamoto
clan (1185-1333) was a powerful family that played a crucial role in the
establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate. They maintained political power for
over 150 years.
The Fujiwara
clan (710-1185) was a noble family that held considerable political power
during the Heian period. They served as regents for the imperial court and were
known for their political maneuvering and manipulation.
Although traces
of Dynastic politics are available in both Asian and Western countries
throughout history, however, the nature, duration and causes of decline in
different geographical areas are not alike because of their own historical,
cultural, and institutional frameworks.
Strong legal
institutions in United States and United Kingdom protect rights of all
citizens, ensure rule of law, individualism and meritocracy. Family ties are
not given importance rather personal character, qualification and necessary
experience is stressed to get proper positions in political parties.
Despite all
restrictions, we are able to find some notable families in United States which
produced more than one political leader who played significant role in national
politics. the Kennedy family produced several high-profile politicians,
including former President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy.
Another example in recent years is Bush family which gave two Presidents. Bill
Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton also got the chance to be in National
politics but purely on merit.
Despite still
presence of dynastic politics in some Asian countries like Pakistan, awareness
about the hold of certain families has grown in people at large. They are
realizing now its bad effects, concentration of power to some hands, lac of
educated representatives and limited chances for persons without strong
families or references. Social media has also played major role in raising
voice for transparency and accountability. It has become easier for people to
judge achievements of any candidate because of easy access to information.
The growing
trend of movements in favor of transparency, accountability, corruption, rule
of law and equal rights has challenged dynastic politics all over.
Furthermore,
the failure of dynastic politicians to come up to expectations of people has
further increased resentment. In Pakistan also, families who have been at top
positions in one way or other are now facing tough times despite full support
from establishment and corrupt facilitators and beneficiaries.
The phenomenon
of Dynastic Politics in which some families remain in political arena because
of their sound financial footings and social contacts has been discussed in
detail in this article with examples of many countries. Historic and difference
in culture of Western & Asian countries has also been highlighted.
This system of politics may have shown positive results in some
countries but on the long run it has helped in promoting corruption, nepotism,
and cronyism in the government. It also becomes a source of unbalanced
distribution of wealth
In my view, the
future of Dynastic politics in countries with strong legacy including Pakistan
is bleak. Influential and dynastic families will have to accept the coming
challenges and will have to bring changes in their political parties to remain
in main stream.
