Thus Spoke President Mamnoon

For the sheer sake of change why not ponder upon our head of state’s address?

Do you know the favorite most pastime of uber-urbanites in Pakistan? Before you take a jibe at the question I better rule out certain probable answers. It is not anything remotely related to Game of Thrones’ latest season, or sharing videos of cute, cuddly pandas or teaching the three R’s to less fortunate or meditating silently about conundrum of existence.

Well, without any further ado, the answer goes like this: these white-collar and pink-collar folks’ darling recreation is to ridicule those who wield power. Whenever these honest, upright professionals huddle together for a cup of tea or gather for a dine out they work themselves up to rage and roar against rulers because certainly it is them who shatter their heaven on earth i.e. ‘Shangri La’. A place that has become a hellhole where gloom and doom looms large. So, they deserve the incessant derision and should be grilled for all the ills that gnaw at our body politic.

And their favorite prey, the frailest of them all, is our president. An office bearer who is the symbolic, ceremonial, titular figurehead sans any legislative or administrative power representing the unity of federation of Pakistan.

We needlessly mock, imitate, tease and taunt him. We do all these things without discomforting ourselves with knowledge about what a head of state actually represents. The president of Pakistan is expected to be above and beyond petty politics and mighty Machiavellian maneuvering that define the arena of realpolitik in Pakistan.

We needlessly mock, imitate, tease and taunt him. We do all these things without discomforting ourselves with knowledge about what a head of state actually represents

 

If we set aside presidents hailing from khaki clan and those who had bureaucratic background we are left with the likes of Fazal Elahi, Rafiq Tarar, and the incumbent Mr Mamnoon Hussain.

None of these civilian presidents could be implicated in a single act of sabotaging the Constitution or exceeding the limits as prescribed for them in law. Our politically nominated and democratically voted in presidents ousted no government, threatened to oust no government and performed the functions they were expected to carry out with all the decorum and decency.

A very laudable ritual of our parliamentary practices is the address by president of Pakistan to the joint session of parliament on the start of every parliamentary year.

This year President Mamnoon addressed the joint session, his third consecutive, of parliament and covered all the bases be them social, political or economic. He laid emphasis on strengthening of democratic institutions in the country and rightly pointed out that development and progress of country lies with the perpetuity of democratic institutions. The president didn’t leave the opposition out of the fold and apprised its criticism on the economic policy. The emphasis laid by him to forge good relationship with our neighbours reiterates the time-tested maxim, ‘one can change his friends, but not enemies’. He also took into account sacrifices that millions of internally displaced persons made and whose stories have been cast aside because their tales were no longer newsworthy enough.

The most noteworthy aspect of the president’s speech revolves around the ubiquitous intolerance that has become the new normal for our society. At this juncture no one needs to be reminded of the fact that we have become increasingly xenophobic and jingoistic. Furthermore, we have fractured our society across sectarian, linguistic and ethnic lines for the sake of petty gains. About time to ruminate for a minute or two on president’s emphasis on putting an end on attacks on minorities and giving women a level playing field so that they too can contribute for the prosperity we all dream.

Speaking of civilised conduct, why don’t we start by showing a tad bit of respect to those who symbolise our state’s institution while not backtracking a single step from our unconditional admiration for the messiahs at large?

 

Since our love to wage lopsided arguments in favour of those we revere and our tour de force to bulldoze the person we deem unworthy of the position they hold need no further enunciation; we can, nonetheless, provoke ourselves and learn a thing or two about how to conduct ourselves in a civilised manner.

Speaking of civilised conduct, why don’t we start by showing a tad bit of respect to those who symbolise our state’s institution while not backtracking a single step from our unconditional admiration for the messiahs at large?

Remember, dearest sirs and ma’ams, all those who vie for power show their true selves once they get the throne. During the struggle, there is zilch but role playing, soliloquies performed to appease the majority gallery and promising things like moon and moonshine in one go and accommodating both in a single sentence.

On a serious note, decorum and propriety are cornerstones for any democracy. Since we have tried and tested all them heroic, promising and larger-than-life individuals, romanced with ‘one strong man will deliver, come what may’ scenarios and are finally left to mundane practice of voting in and out the lot we want to rule us. We better brace ourselves for the long haul that awaits us.

About time that we cultivate a mature bent of mind and try to rise above the televised quibbles that promise viewership and results in amnesia the morning after. So, I have an idea, why not for the sheer sake of change ponder upon what our president said rather than what he was wearing or what ethnicity he represents. What do you say?