For a temporary stint in the corridors of power, many individuals who would otherwise have been honest render themselves incapable of morality and become the supporting legs for their Godfather’s throne.
The nineteenth century American writer and philosopher Amos Bronson Alcott once said that a government, for protecting business only, is but a carcass and soon falls by its own corruption and decay. We as a nation are currently a witness that this indeed is the case. It may take years or perhaps even decades but there will be an end.
By holding our rulers accountable we are indeed on the right path. But is corruption itself the greatest problem?
The answer is no, our system as a whole is infested with the malaise of not only corruption but a decadent mindset. It is not the Sharifs who are responsible, it is we the people – or as Karl Marx would say the ‘proletariat’ class – who are at fault. Shamelessly and ignorantly we continue to bow our heads in slavery and refuse to take a stand, despite claiming to be a democratic state.
A Supreme Court constituted JIT has courageously annihilated the Sharif family and all their fabricated defenses along with their forged documents, yet the disgraceful members of the ruling party adamantly shield their masters and accurately identify themselves as minions. The tragedy of this predicament lies in the fact that a significant portion of the citizenry extends their support to the Sharif family clearly representing disparity due to a lack of education.
This perpetual persona of the public at large acts as an inbred disease spreading like cancer. For a temporary stint in the corridors of power, many individuals who would otherwise have been honest render themselves incapable of morality and become the supporting legs for their Godfather’s throne. Without the presence of these loyal courtiers, Nawaz Sharif or anyone else for that matter could never even contemplate of ruling this country.
Despite lacking moral and even legal authority, Nawaz Sharif continues to cling to his chair but nevertheless he is definitely feeling the chair rocking. However, once again the institutions of the country are being put at stake solely to protect one guy and his platoon of looters. The refusal of the government to remove Zafar Hijazi even after a direction by the apex court to initiate criminal proceedings against him, cements the fact that the Sharif family is not only looting and plundering but are also looking towards conflict with the judicature.
Declining literacy rates however will continue to support the likes of the Sharifs and the Zardaris and facilitate them in betraying their motherland. Quite honestly this is a historic ruse employed by many autocratic rulers in the past. Deprive the people of basic education and they will continue to be obedient servants. Raise empty slogans such as “roti, kapra, makan” and they will slit their wrists open for you.
The rulers of today have not only looted the nation’s wealth but have also robbed the people of their basic rights. It has become difficult to differentiate between Bashar al Assad and our very own lions. Let us not forget the model town massacre. Let us not forget the woman shot in the face for protesting. How dare she defy the rulers, that too in the center of their home? And yet the allegedly accused continue to serve as the Chief Minister and Law minister of Punjab respectively.
Even the revolutionaries of today who vowed to fight till the end for justice for the innocents slaughtered in model town, seem to have forgotten them. Pursuing this issue solely to stimulate their own political agendas and then abandoning the fight to consider other more effective tactics in their political battle, represents further degeneration in the mindsets.
The problem is if not them, then who?
Reforming or I’d rather say allegedly reforming a system solely by bringing in a new individual in the corridors of power is a wish for many which unfortunately will always remain a wish. Our country does not require only new and presumably honest leaders. What we drastically need is empowerment of the masses only achievable by significantly improving the standard of education. A certain class of people is capable of standing up for their rights amongst other things not because they were born literate but because unlike the vast majority they had the privilege of being properly educated which as a result empowered their minds to differentiate right from wrong.
Even if we turn to extremism it is not the essence of extremism which is worrisome, it is the supporting mindset that is the actual plight. Yet again the pitiful fact isn’t that a terrorist commits an act of terror, it is the accompanying mentality which is flexed by the scores of people who turn out on the roads in their defense effectively creating misconceptions about religion.
An upcoming generation will always adhere to the decayed mindset of their ancestors until and unless they are educated to a much higher standard. Even the youth of today will turn out to be slightly polished versions of their elders eventually reflecting the same mentality which will continue its contribution in further darkening our country, unless we provide them with a cure. The ultimate cure for our country can only be a higher level of morality which traces its foundations to a better form of education. The greater problem which persists is the lack of intellectual capacity.
…despite being in power for almost 10 years consecutively and 2 of their previous stints, the Khadim e Aala and his other cronies miserably failed to improve and provide education to the masses.
It was only a matter of days for the Punjab government to effectively round up hundreds of sheesha cafes and the teenagers huddled there, but despite being in power for almost 10 years consecutively and 2 of their previous stints, the Khadim e Aala and his other cronies miserably failed to improve and provide education to the masses. They didn’t fail in doing so. The reality is they never wanted people to be educated enough to be able to stand up to them and challenge their rule and raise voices for accountability. It would have been a nightmare for them if the general populous demanded hospitals and schools rather than metro buses. However, as most people especially the powerful ones tend to forget that there is and always has been a Higher power watching over them and the rest of us.
Notwithstanding the entire legal debate as to what will be the final fate of the sharifs and whether the Supreme Court will finally do justice or not, I would only agree with Naeem Bukhari’s eloquent conclusion;
“Naam rahega sirf Allah ka”
