The controversy arising out of the passengers’ protest against the late arrival of two legislators onboard an Islamabad-bound PIA flight from Karachi and the ensuing contradictory positions, the stance the national airlines official took doubtlessly symbolises only a small symptom of a malaise that Pakistan reels from; absence of or little respect for law by those supposed to uphold the law. These privileged ones willfully tear down the rules and regulations at their convenience, i.e., paying lip service to meritocracy and the rule of law for public consumption and circumventing the law in all possible ways.
Thanks to Imran Khan’s reformist agenda (without agreeing to his rhetoric and the methodology) never before has the public discourse revolved so much around the rule of law and fundamental rights. His month-long sit-in has essentially turned the focus on the urgent need for reforming the political economy. The public tolerance boils over the threshold (PIA flight 370 being a case in point) makes perfect sense in the given situation. Issues such as the elites’ indifference to peoples’ fundamental rights or their insensitivity to the inconvenience they cause to the public do constitute elements of a civil war if Pakistan were to face one.
In this context, Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam, wrote in the Singapore Journal of legal Studies in 2012: “What defined Singapore, what made us a nation, were shared ideals and shared aspirations. Equal opportunity for all, regardless of economic background or social status, race, language, or religion. Meritocracy. Equality before the law. Intolerance of corruption. A commitment to free trade and the market system. Above all, a determination to develop Singapore, give a better life to Singaporeans to survive and succeed against the odds.” Seen in this context, Singapore stands out as a model of the rule of law, which has made it one of the safest places in the world to live and work. Its government over the years has ensured that corruption is dealt with severely and crime does not go unpunished.
While females dread to step out of their homes in most of Pakistan — regardless of whether in Karachi, Lahore, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or Fata, young boys and girls in Singapore roam freely in the streets at any time of the day or night, alone or in groups, without fear of being teased, abused or vandalised.
People don’t feel the need to to lock their homes or cars as the fear of law is all-pervasive. In fact, the sense of security is so pervasive that the government itself has to remind the citizens by putting up posters of “Low crime does not mean no crime”.
During a recent visit to Singapore, a friend, who resides there narrated a tale of a taxi driver. He was on a night shift when he picked up a young woman in her early twenties who was wearing a two-piece bikini and was barefoot on the side of the road at three in the morning. She had gone for a beach party about five kilometres from where the cabbie picked her. During the party, she went for a swim but found everything missing — slippers, towels, bag, phone and money — upon her return. She couldn’t figure out whether it was a prank or an actual theft. She, nevertheless, decided to walk from the beach to the main road where she could get a cab at that time of the night to go back home. Not once was she afraid for her personal safety and no one teased her throughout either. The cabbie took her home safely and was paid the fare by the girl’s father who had been alerted of her sorry state over a phone call by the cabbie during the ride.
Singapore, undoubtedly, owes this to Lee Kuan Yew, the father of new Singapore. During his visit to Pakistan in the early 1990s, he spoke to a selected gathering at the Planning Commission in the presence of Nawaz Sharif who was the premier at the time.
“Your PM has asked me to help Pakistan but I told him the job may be difficult because you believe in the other world. We believe in this world and thus work hard for it.” Yew said this in a rather candid manner underlining the energy and effort his team puts in propelling Singapore to new heights of development. The key — a rule that doesn’t discriminate against anyone and respect for the law. Pakistan’s dilemma is precisely the opposite, selective rule of law instead of justice and security to all citizens.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2014.
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As long as we, what Lee Kuan Yew said "you believe in the other world" will be more attached to the other world than this world. We cannot have the best of both world's, Pakistani's have to decide, this world or the "other world' To decide we should emulate our Scottish friends and have a referendum!!!. a simple yes or no to the question. Should Pakistan work for this world or the "other world". Yes would mean this world and No would mean the "other world". This will put an end to all the drama's, why this nation was created in the first place. Was it created for this world, or was it created as spring board to leap frog into the world hereafter. There are many who still do not know.
Nicely written......I did comment giving my version of the Singapore success, praising it.....but it was disallowed.
Well put, yes Pakistani's are an indoctrinated lot, we are indoctrinated to believe in the other world ( i.e. the world hereafter) not this world. So we do all that is supposedly required to make very sure we reach the "other world". So why bother about this world if we are so concerned about the other world, why pretend about law and order, about VIP's about Kashmir, about Taliban, about terrorism, after all we are preparing our selves for the next world, i.e. the real world, this world is only very temporary, the other world is more permanent ( hopefully!!), otherwise a lot of people will be very very disappointed. Well put Mr.Lee Kuan Yew, I salute you for your very candid answer. You have understood this nation, its religion,culture,values, ethos,and have spoken clearly. Unfortunately nothing has changed, we remain brainwashed, wishing to reach the other world, and do nothing about this world except complain complain and complain.
Request others to help Pakistan to resolve its issues is precisely the core problem with the present political leadership.They asked China to resolve the issues of energy,transportation etc etc.If one consider the government's attitude,it seems that entire economic progress was to begin after the visit of the Chinese President.They asked SA to help them to resolve financial crisis.They asked Turkey to help resolve transportation,sanitation,severage problems of Lahore/Punjab etc.Last year during his address in the UN,Nawaz Sharif requested the world to help us in tackling the issue of terrorism.I do not know what request would he make now?.The political leadership has requested almost all important countries to help us to resolve our problems.It has been probably lost on Nawaz Sharif that Singapore did not ask others to resolve their issues and became a prosperous country,she did it herself.
“Your PM has asked me to help Pakistan but I told him the job may be difficult because you believe in the other world. We believe in this world and thus work hard for it.” Says it all! We only talk about our glorious past and after life but not what we are doing to change our plight. We say our prayers five times a day and after each prayer we beg Allah to change our plight, forgive our sins and make us do the right things, etc. Never in my entire life did any prayer leader ever pledged to Allah that from today we have stopped, laying, cheating, bribery, making fake baby formula and all the sins. In fact we leave it to Allah to improve our this life and life after but we are not changing it ourselves. Nobody in the world as a society talk about good deeds they simply do it.
" The key — a rule that doesn’t discriminate against anyone and respect for the law. Pakistan’s dilemma is precisely the opposite, selective rule of law instead of justice and security to all citizens." You have said it all and eloquently.