The Citizen!
- Newsletter of the
Helpline Trust
-
JUSTICE 
INJUSTICE
email: trust@super.net.pk - web site: www.helplinetrust.org.pk HELP US CHANGE THE SCALE
Straight Talk – A Crisis of State and Society. (Printed in the Nation 6th June 05).
Having worked closely on issues relating to good governance and the
enforcement of rule of law since 1996, I have come to a sad conclusion that it
is not a crisis of State or society that Pakistan is facing once again, but a
continuous crisis of the individual, based on the self above all syndrome.
We are prepared to lie, cheat, sell our souls to the devil and even kill, to
satisfy our ego, our thirst to get rich and to enjoy the mercs and perks of
power.
Our thirst for power and wealth has destroyed and paralyzed our social order
and moral values, our institutions, justice and administrative systems and the
system of fair and good governance.
These are the very issues that were addressed by the speakers in our first
Helpline Trust’s Straight Talk dialogue on “The Crisis of State and Society”
back in 1996, in which the late Dr. Eqbal Ahmad, Dr. Hameeda Khuhro, presently
the Education Minister, Mr. Asim, former editor, Dawn and other city notables
had participated.
And though much has been written about the above issues, it seems that those
at the helm of affairs, who can change the system and put matters right, are
unable to do so. National Assembly has to be repeatedly adjourned due to the
lack of quorum, despite the fact that members had been issued warnings by the
president and prime minister, who have commented on the lack of interest shown
by ministers and treasury members.
Yet this graduate assembly enjoys perks and privileges previously unheard of
and only recently, MNAs, senators and parliamentary secretaries received a
hefty 15% increase in their salaries, which should have encouraged them to be
more sincere and committed to their oath of office. Whereas, the PM raised the
minimum salary in his budget, from Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000.
Unfortunately, none of the graduate and enlightened NA members are really
interested or care in strengthening democracy or in improving the system of
governance or the quality of life of the 150 million citizens of Pakistan.
The same situation exists in the Sindh Assembly, with daily desk thumping and
walk outs on non issues, while important legislations, like Consumer
Protection Law, discussions on the Hudood and Karo Kari Ordinance, law and
order, water and power crisis, escalating prices, etc., lie gathering dust.
Even after 56 years of Pakistan’s existence, we still do not have a viable
political or democratic system in place, which is marred by periodic military
rule interventions. Instead of consistent polices and strong political base,
our political parties are built around power hungry, incompetent, corrupt and
dishonest personalities, with blatant disregard for public office and civil
law.
To put Pakistan on the road to success, there is a strong need to strengthen
the integrity and moral values of society and those in government. We cannot
measure progress or success through under and over passes or by counting the
number of cell phone subscribers. One only has to observe the performance of
the public service departments to gauge progress. A close look at these
unveils a grim picture.
In Pakistan these departments are in chaos. The only law enforced is that of
‘might is right’. When it comes to justice, the cries of the poor fall on deaf
ears. Civil consciousness among the masses is eroding at an alarming rate and
sense of insecurity is rising. In major cities the basic amenities like water
and refuse disposal are taken for granted, facilities that cannot be acquired
in smaller cities without invoking well-placed connections. The public
departments are being run by thugs who expect their hands to be greased by
what has now become institutionalized bribery.
The present economic growth is encouraging but at the same time the life of an
average citizen is becoming miserable. Inflation is on the rise and the gap
between the rich and poor is growing. Without resolute public institutions,
especially the judiciary, a nation cannot sustain development.
As we lack a strong and vocal civil society, those in government remain
unaccountable and literally get away with murder. Mr. Salahuddin Leghari of
Lahore had written: “The crisis is not so much of state and society, as that
of the individual. After all, it is the individual who constitutes the basic
and the most essential building block in the architecture of any state and
society. If we can improve the individual, improvement of state and society
will follow as a matter of course. The question is: how do we accomplish
this”?
This indeed is the million-dollar question. Is this repeated crisis due to the
intervention of the army or due to a lack of vision, commitment and integrity
of our leaders and politicians? Or is this a crisis of the individual, due to
his lack of commitment, integrity and education?
As Mr. Salahuddin has very correctly pointed out: “I mean not only the secular
type of education, but also that higher type of education, which has a moral
bearing and purpose - which informs the mind that bigotry and intolerance in
matters of religion is wrong, that hypocrisy and practice of double standards
are evils which should be eliminated”.
He points out that qualities like honesty, punctuality, hard work and
self-reliance are worth cultivating and that pursuit of excellence in speech
and in personal conduct is far more rewarding than pursuit of fame and fortune
of a dubious nature.
For the last 58 years, we have been groping in the dark for the elusive light
at the end of the tunnel and chasing rainbows. And every time, to our
frustration and bitter disappointment, the light at the end of the tunnel has
turned out to be an illusion and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow has
turned out to be just another pot of shattered dreams and broken promises.
It seems that intellectual and financial corruption, deceit, nepotism,
favoritism and the “self above all syndrome” that I always write about, have
become our way of life. They are evils, which not only fuel the crisis of
state and society, but also weaken its foundations.
Every day we read of fake degrees and gross misconduct committed by our
leaders, politicians and pillars of business and society and instead of being
condemned and chastised, they are feted and praised by both, government and
society.
If our schools and universities were to produce men and women, who in addition
to having attained excellence in the academic field, are also equipped with
qualities of sound character, morals and social virtues and do not measure
success by bank balances or as to which club they belong to, then we might
succeed in curing the ills of our state and society.
This is not an easy task, as it will require fundamental changes in ourselves,
our values and in what we believe in, even at the risk of being labeled a
misfit and a troublemaker.
Helpline Trust