Language, leaders and virtue

When Imran Khan first staged Dharna Number 1, he was criticised for many things, one being the choice of words he used to hack his opponents. He sparred with everybody he thought had been ruining this country with the Nawaz family getting the most. His language and behaviour caught the imagination of those who had thought him the better of the lot. That Dharna exposed his vulnerabilities and reinforced the fact that a person is the product of her/his culture. He probably learnt from those before him or his opponents as a matter of fact. Either way, in the recent past there again emerged a similar trend. The Dharna 2 that failed to materialise was a reproduction of some foul languages used against the opponents. While Trump in the US has flung opened racism and sexism entrenched in the US system, by just scratching the surface, we, however, have even failed to give a cover to show some semblance of decency.

What is culture made of? By definition, a culture is a set of values a society adopts towards life. If the culture in Pakistan guides one to use obscene language or to indulge in humour that belittles others, it reflects a malice that runs deeper. Rude behaviour is one thing that we encounter in our daily interactions. According to research conducted by Foreman Christian College Lahore, the lower bureaucracy, comprising posts like elementary school teachers, SHO, nurses, lady health workers, front desk officers in public organisation, exhibit derision, intolerance and lack of professionalism with their customers/clients. The reason gleaned from the survey corroborated the much talked about paucity of training in human behaviour, wrong recruitments, and unequal customer: service provider ratio. Burdened with overwork and growing financial and material needs that are hardly fulfilled by the salary the lower bureaucrats receive their job becomes a means to squeeze the system beyond its capacity to offer. Corruption ensues. The corruption that relates to morals, when people refuse to assist those dependent on their help, with the largess of heart and mind and using their full professional acumen, is as lethal. If the former depletes the exchequer, the later depletes virtues. Very few politicians have ever tried to identify this loss. It is the death of virtue that has led to the decay of institutions.

According to Aristotle, happiness being the goal of a human being results from a virtuous life. He divides virtue between intellectual and moral virtues. He makes the legislators, the lawmakers, the representatives of the people responsible for making the citizens good by forming healthy habits. Forming good habits is part of the training that the state takes upon itself through different means, the paramount being education. Can we trace our lack of virtuosity to the education system where teachers have turned out to be cheaters for remaining absent from school while taking salaries; where children are forced to study in schools where drinking water does not exist, and where teaching is seen as a profession best suited for a ‘woman’, because it implies more free days, flexible working hours and relaxed work environment. A common observation is that depression is rising among the people of Pakistan. Could it also mean we have less virtuous people, or to put it differently, can we say we have less of those who have been raised to have good habits? Despondently, there is a general agreement that dishonesty has become a common trait in our country. There is also an agreement that this country has become lawless in the sense that justice is unequally distributed if not dispensed rarely. Another agreement has been reached that the political leadership is corrupt. By way of these facts, we can say that Pakistan is a country plagued by corrupt leadership. Hence, the institutional malady in the form of an incompetent and unprofessional workforce and work processes that perpetuates corruption.

The foul language used by politicians signals that we are sending wrong people to parliaments. We have a long journey to cover before becoming civilised. However, will there be a start? Hopefully those who are eager for ‘change’ begin the crusade.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2016.

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