Faced with a crisis, which is not the first nor will be the last in political parties, PDP leadership has been swinging like a pendulum. The decision of not participating in Local Body polls which should have come from the PAC has now been fired from the shoulders of MLAs. This is not democratisation of decision making but abdication of leadership, and leaving scope to share the blame should it go wrong. In fact this is precisely the point that Haseeb Drabu has made in his response to the Party President while declining to be a member of the PAC. The malaise within PDP, and indeed other similar political parties, is the lack of empowered structures and transparent processes. It would appear that PDP is being run with utter disregard for these. Right from the decision making process to following its own party constitution everything has become a whim, fancy and flavour of the day. When institutional structures, systems and hierarchies are played around with, it is bound to result in degeneration and adhocism of the worst kind. Mehbooba Mufti has publicly apologised for her known errors of omission and commission. However, these changes are not being seen as making amends — what Drabu has evocatively called atonement — but appeasing the disgruntled MLAs who are potential dissenters. Appeasement as a policy and political culture is a sure sign of weak leadership. For a party of 28 MLAs, to have a PAC of 28 members is not inclusive decision making. Instead it reduces the gravitas and authority of the institution.
Diluting Leadership
