THREE weeks after the February polls in which people gave a mandate in favour of national reconciliation, the country’s leading politicians are working with different concoctions to arrive at the right mix of political forces to form governments at the federal and provincial levels. The task is tough in absence of an acceptable central figure to hold all major players together.

They can possibly work together though intensive dialogue to resolve their differences on the basis of give and take.

The business community wants immediate formation of government. It sees the situation strongly favouring a peaceful transition of power to an all inclusive coalition governments to put uncertainty at rest and pave the way for businesses to revert to normalcy. President Musharraf said on Friday that he would convene the National Assembly session within two weeks.

The businessmen wish for a governance formula that offers some space for all political groups and parties. They strongly advocate inclusion of MQM in the coalition and believe that exclusion of representatives of urban Sindh in future political set-up would leave the government lopsided and too weak to hold for long. They see a dependable patron in President Musharraf without whom the future would become more unpredictable increasing the risk to their businesses.

They feel that good intentions of politicians are necessary but not sufficient. The politicians who failed in the past, in their view, have a rare chance to absolve themselves of the reputation of being “short-sighted and self-centered” and prove that they are equally capable of giving the country a reasonably stable government.

They believe that the military establishment is the strongest of all institutions and needs to be factored when strategising for future. They feel that any wrong step at this juncture could prove disastrous. They however believe that the politicians have demonstrated more political maturity than expected, kindling hope that they might conduct themselves more responsibly this time.

“Pragmatism is the name of the game. No matter how strong your commitment to your ideals, to achieve them, you must also know the path and have the capability to work through to achieve the goals”, said a seasoned corporate leader sharing his views regarding the current scenario and perceptions of his class.

Zubyr Soomro, President Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry, responded via e-mail: “We have been watching with interest the discussions between various political parties and are encouraged by the dominant theme of coming together in the interests of the country. A smooth and early transition would help build confidence”.

“We understand that the PPP leadership held a meeting with representatives of the local business community and the feedback from there was positive. Overall responses have been business- friendly we hear, but we all know some tough decisions have to be taken on the economy and we look forward to working together in the interest of the nation”.

He was looking forward to his group’s meeting with the elected government. “To date there has been no dialogue with the OICCI and foreign investors as such. Aside from constructive feedback, we do contribute over 30 per cent of total direct taxes and look forward to interaction with the senior members of the new governments as they emerge”.

”For the last one month, files are gathering dust on tables in all ministries in Islamabad as bureaucrats tend not to be too obliging to their temporary bosses. There is an urgent need to bring this phase to an end and transfer power to elected representatives who should show their ability to give the country a slim, trim and efficient government”, said a tycoon currently in Islamabad.

A few calls to some ministries in Islamabad confirmed this view, as officers at higher posts told Dawn, that they could not afford to be adventurous and would like to wait for the next government to take charge and decide pending cases according to their priorities and vision.

”This is not the first transition for us. Our experience tells us to keep low in such circumstances as any adventurism at this point could cost us our jobs. We are killing time around here sitting pretty till our new bosses arrive”, a seasoned bureaucrat told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

On the issue of possibility of MQM deciding to sit in the opposition there was visible nervousness particularly in business leaders of Karachi. “Who can forget those dark days of strikes, street protests and deadly clashes of late 1980s and early 1990s that drove many businesses out of Karachi?

It was only in recent past that the situation of the city improved when MQM was allowed to manage the city. Irrespective of our views about this party, the fact is that it enjoys the trust and vote of Karachiites. If nothing else for the sake of the economy, the political hierarchy of PPP and PML-N must woo them into the fold of the evolving coalition.

Nervous times persist for those who are tied to the land because of their business interests. Instead of making a beeline in front of political leaders houses, a better strategy could be to offer the next government some workable solutions for the economic problems the country is faced with.