Our political woes
It is endless, this desire for entertainment amongst us Pakistanis. In all aspects and facets of life. For five years, politicians, judges and anchors, plus “breaking news”, have been the ultimate source. Now we break new grounds, articles 62 and 63, the ECP and its “ROs” have taken over.
So its tears, ideology and whatever taking over. The purists are using ‘government’ machinery allegedly and others have fallen to the ultimate reverse swing of the ambiguous terms of disqualification. I’ll take the liberty of terming it TOD!
I am laughing out loud. It’s the very knife that I’ve been talking about that has come round to stabbing the very hand that created it. When Raza Rabbani jumped up and down like jack-in-the-box and said he’d restored the 1973 constitution I was flabbergasted. When Gilani raised both hands in salute to a monumental achievement, the same mind you, I was in a state of shock. I wrote then and many times after saying that this was a complete lie. It was Zia-ul-Haq’s constitution and Musharraf’s constitution, NOT the 1973 constitution.
That damning 8th amendment, the root of all evil, as was its creator, has brought this country to doom. These ambiguous and arbitrary articles along with some 55 others continue to haunt this constitution. No government or parliament since has moved to remove this amendment in toto along with its various interpretations in a multitude of clauses. No court has ever ruled against it. In fact, parliament did the very opposite. Rabbani’s constitutional reform not only retained this but the last parliament approved this with the required majority. When I questioned Rabbani, his response was a muted, charming grin. Nothing significant.
Even from his grave, “Mard-e-Haq” (sic) continues his drone attacks. Blasphemy is yet another tormenting gift from this accursed amendment. So as he laughs would our righteous “professional” politicians please come out and admit that they are a complete laughing stock. That while they fiddled and ‘argued’ about little things, the beast was just waiting its turn to bite. Well, now that it has bitten, it must be taken to it its end.
Financial impropriety at the political level is astounding. People who were clerks and ordinary folk now declare incredible assets in relation to the country’s standards. Look at the declarations. Some are so unknown that one would not even recognise them. Their wealth makes one baulk. And they pay no taxes. On the other hand, there are those who run big businesses and have top jobs, pay their taxes, yet have assets nowhere near theirs to boast.
Getting a list of ‘bank defaulters’ is not the complete answer. It is in investigating the collateral offered for bank loans and correlating it with the assets declared. If false degree declarations can lead to jail sentences then for sure incorrect assets, fraud property documents and overvalued certificates must lead to jail sentences. Not only for those submitting the documents but for those who aided and abetted in preparing and certifying them, as it should for those who participated in making the false degrees.
Instead of playing to the gallery, let the ECP get down to brass tacks. Forensic accounting will determine and catch theft, expose fraud and provide solid evidence for prosecution, as is essential if the exercise is to prove a permanent deterrent. There is either too much confidence in the local prevention establishment or the desire to allow the cleansing process only as a cosmetic eyewash. If not, it isn’t difficult to consult with the IRS or the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) internationally and commence a thorough forensic wash down. It’s not necessary to do it all within two months, parliamentarians can be disqualified even after they are elected. After all they are common citizens, aren’t they? Or is that in itself another major worry?
While the public is being entertained by the quantum of breaking news and I guess, to an extent its content, the world is watching as we expose our forays into democracy and our very commitment to state and country. For many it is “no big thing, yaar”. “Where doesn’t it happen?” “Look it’s happening in France too.” “Oh, Come on! That’s the name of the game.” Ok, if that is what it is, then we are running yet another sham. This too will go away and some new entertainers will be handed the day.
After all smashing glasses on TV, shrieking matches, name calling et al do provide poetic relief in the long, dreary evenings. There is no worry about missing the tagline in an episode because if it’s missed, there is another equally horrendous show in the next hour or on the next channel. We even have actors-turned-so-called-anchors, bereft of intellectual depth, assuming the role of political strategists, providing fuel to the comedy of errors that is running amok.
That is what it is, friends, and we are in for another ‘ride’ of our lives. The realists believe that this phase will be over (we have the right of appeal) and it will be business as usual. That’s the risk we have to take; it comes with democracy. But surely, the serious business of government should not become our main source of entertainment. As for the scrutinisers, I would advise that the less they delve into ideology and personal beliefs, the better. That’s something we as a nation should avoid getting into. Jinnah wanted it that way.
The writer can be contacted at: imranmhusain@gmail.com