It must be understood that it is not the system which is responsible for the current predicament of the common man.
LAHORE: “The system has failed. The system must be changed.” We hear slogans like these more often. But we must make a distinction between the ‘system’ and ‘the running of the system’. If a system is not running it doesn’t necessarily mean that the system is wrong, it could be in fact that those running it are not doing a proper job. If you put a bad driver behind the steering wheel of a Rolls Royce, then who is the one responsible for the accident: the car or the driver? It must be understood that it is not the system which is responsible for the current predicament of the common man.
I agree that our system is not flawless, has many discrepancies, but even if we properly handle it most of the country’s major ills would not vanish. The real problem is not in the system but somewhere else. It lies in corrupt officials, lack of political will and wisdom, and with our rulers who distort the system in order to exploit the masses for their own petty gains. The focus must be on how to ensure the proper implementation and the running of the system than to throw the whole thing into the kitchen sink. The solution lies not in new constitutional amendments, but in the enforcement of the already existing constitution in letter and in spirit.
Syed Usman Shah
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
