How can Pakistan become a democratic country with attitudes that are 18thc? I fail to see the connection between what is being urged by all anchorpersons that they are working for democracy. There has been a lot of song and dance about five years of democracy and the opposition claiming that they were responsible for the five years of the PPP in power. They have made long shots hoping that when they come in power, that is, if they come in power, they may or may not deliver what they have promised and the electorate would have forgotten all about it. They may well be right. The electorate will have no power to remove any government which is not capable of fulfilling its promise in the elections.
We are a nation that is full of hateful people. We do not realise that the more we spit out hate in these election meetings the worse the country will become. Pray how will the anchorperson explains when he asked why the CM’s son was doing business? He got the answer that that was his right? Was it his right to have conflict of interest? The anchorperson probably had no influence of Aristotle on him and he just went the way of the powerful. These days the media is self cleansing or so it seems. The USA has said that they offered a certain sum of money to the electronic media while the secret funds have been used for whatever purpose. Self-saving statement is not acceptable in law where this kind of behaviour attracts self exculpatory and self inculpatory sections to be applied to the recalcitrant. The politicians will not know what conflict of interest is. Well, how about the abattoir that was also in their kith and kin one is not astonished with anything that is happening in this country. The lot is so abrasive and so callous that one hopes that they will be sorted out by the electorate. How come the election law and the articles of the constitution were used as they were? Was the constitution not violated? If it was then those who did so should be tried for treason? Should they not? Is it not a principle of jurisprudence that one cannot be absolved of minor indiscretions because if one is false in little things one is false in big things? Was that some of the people that are involved.
If one were to look at the assets of these people then one feels that Pakistan had royalty down the line and the jobs that they were doing were income generating to an extent that we should approach the WB and seek a dispensation for poverty on their track record. I looked at some assets. One goon had prize bonds worth 3 crores (and he had borrowed from his cousin or cosin, as he spells it, 4 crores – some cosin) when his net worth after he had received only an inheritance of 1.5 lakhs. He is senior member and party stalwart and sings to the dozens on honesty and what have you.
But these individuals do not bother me for all of them are passing shows. What bothers me is that this sort of action will not help the economy. Hate is spiteful and is mean and rapacious. We are a mean and rapacious people. Why are we performing the way we are? Is the upbringing lacking? Is the parental care missing?
Does the nation not need decency? Political leaders are supposed to be reasonable person? What bug has bitten them that they are ogling out poison all the time? With this kind of culture developing what chances are there that this country will survive. Is economic recovery possible when these kinds of activities are openly carried out? The kings men I am aware have created more damage than the king himself. Themselves they have filled their pockets.
Can any organisation do what they want to or are charged with when this kind of a connection is seen by the common person? The industry has been starved of utilities – gas lines of cars, electricity shortfall and more of the same to follow. Recently, some one came from Karachi and said there is no loadshedding. I am not surprised with the current Chairman of Wapda has touched very low for all others that will come after him will look like saints.
Everything in short is up for grabs. Well try paying off the interest on the debt that this country has incurred. Try giving the basic necessities to the people of this country. They are guilty of being born here. So if there is no job, no income the country will head to the pits of the world, not that we are any better at this time. The worse is till to come for when morons and nincompoops rule, the world of the ordinary citizen is hopeless.
Be careful. This country does not have any social engineers, no social architects and no social considerations. What has happened to the labour of the industrial factories? Let me tell you that in the highest house in the country there is at least a coterie of people that are taking vicarious pleasure out of this performance of Wapda. The king does not know and he is isolated just as Nixon was. Who will worry about the macro payments, about debt and about unemployment? We lie and we cheat.
IMF is not going to bail us out. The rich will have to start coughing up their ill-gotten wealth. If some money is needed by the cash-strapped Pakistan then all they have to do is to take the assets lists from the Election Commission and take away 75% of the ill-gotten wealth. Pakistan’s budget will balance without the use of resources from elsewhere. The intangible loss is much more than the arithmetic of the budget.
Come on patriotic Pakistani for this is a much more serious thing than East Pakistan debacle. The entire society is plummeting because of the actions of the few and their endeavour to get rich at all costs. Yes Aristotle was right. He was aware at that time of the conflict of interest but the politicians of today are both blind in the ears and deaf in the eyes. The normal organs of a human are not theirs.
What will Pakistan do if Balochistan and KPK decide otherwise then staying in this mumble jumble where there is no decency and no duty of care? Death here and there is the order of the day while a charade is being played at the cost of the taxpaying people. The problem with life is that it exudes a heavy price even when no one is in the know. The self also knows that the work is one that should have been done otherwise. The loss in hateful terms will not be quantifiable. The crunch must come and when it comes the big fish would have run away. So tadpoles won’t be of any help. All that these human tadpoles do is wag their tails. Waggers!
Dr. Zafar Altaf, "Hate shedding in the economy," Business recorder. 2013-04-27.Keywords: Economy-Pakistan , Democracy-Pakistan , Business-Pakistan , Politicians-Pakistan , Political leaders , Social engineers , Elections-Pakistan , Karachi , KPK , PPP