The term “national interest” is so amorphous and vague that it can be co-opted by anybody to suit their purpose. It has become a catchall for our military dictators for their many coups and other undemocratic acts and it is appropriated by politicians to rhetorically justify their actions as well.
No doubt that this term is a part of the oath of government officials by saying that the national interest will be kept above personal interests in the discharge of their duties. The oath as given in the Pakistan’s constitution is a solemn pledge that our President, PM , ministers, governors, senators and all parliamentarians take publicly. But I think that our officials take much leverage when defining what ‘national interest’ is.
It is sadly observed that hardly anybody who is somebody in the government adheres to their oath during the discharge of their duties. One sees nepotism in key appointments, kickbacks in the award of contracts, misuse of the government exchequer, manpower, transport, development funds, aid money, disregard of courts’ orders and host of other wrong things. Do our leaders who have taken oath, ever think that all the above things are being done in the national interest or for personal interest?
Lately, PML(Q) has joined the PPP government with their leaders saying that they have joined the government in the larger national interest. I think the PML(Q) leader should explain to the public what he means by national interest. The politicians must regard the oath that they have taken and fear God’s wrath and public accountability.
The military too has pandered to thsi term in recent times to take some heat off the criticism it has been receiving from virtually all quarters of society. It has justified its budget increase by citing, you guessed it right, ‘national interest’. And it has asked the media not to criticise it in ‘national interest’. While some would say that they are criticising it precisely in ‘national interest’.
This definitional crisis of the term has cost very heavilyto the public. Everybody is serving some self-imagined form of ‘national interest’ while they labour under the worsening conditions. Will somebody pray tell what this national interest is?
NADEEM ILYAS BUTT
Karachi
