We the people
The writer is a lawyer with a Master’s degree from Northeastern University
Subsequent to the entire fiasco that the country has just gone through, I will not comment on the former premier’s performance because the same has already been dissected by various factions of the country. Factions, institutions and individuals who are more prudent, erudite and diligent than myself. However, what I will comment upon is the former premier’s brazen disregard for the country’s laws.
Ever since he gained power, the captain had been reciting the mantra of ‘insaf’ and ‘naya Pakistan’ accompanied by incessantly evoking the religious sentiment. Because he knew what worked the masses, he gave them what they liked. For him, myriad issues of the country were simplified into just one word: corruption. And such sentiments gained support of the liberals and keyboard jihadists who thought the country had no other problems worthy of being addressed. Being a ‘western liberal’ himself, the captain’s followers are not the brightest bulbs in the room though. Elite, rich, bougie capitalists who attain most of their information from Whatsapp groups and Facebook posts tend to blindly buy what their charismatic leader sells to them. I assure you, you cannot reason with these groups.
The 20th century American proverb tends to stick here. That, you cannot play chess with a pigeon, it’ll just knock over the pieces, defecate all over the board and then strut around like it won the game. Did I just say ‘American’ though? I wouldn’t be surprised if the former premier’s followers also termed this proverb a conspiracy against them. But really, is that the best he could have done? A foreign conspiracy?
It is composure and grace that runs in a sportsman’s veins, not excuses and vindictiveness. Had the premier elegantly faced the no-confidence motion and fluently walked out of the Parliament with his head up, instead of returning to bani-gala and disappearing, I had believed his proposition of sportsmanship and playing ‘till the last ball’.
Well, amongst hordes of uneducated masses, rhetoric is what sells. And when I say uneducated, I don’t mean it literally, I refer to those who don’t wish to see outside of their little elitist bubble. The former premier knew he could gain support of the liberals by merely bashing the Sharif brothers, by labelling everyone as corrupt. To put the cherry on top, he had to wrap it up with his lectures on righteousness, morality and faith. Not bad coming from someone who has lived a western life throughout, eh?
They say democracy is the best revenge but our guru took it a step further and proved that hypocrisy is the best revenge. It’s all fun and games until someone else does it. Let me give you an example. Horse trading was legal until other people started doing it. We were also taught by our charismatic leader that if a country sees tax hikes, that equates to politicians being corrupt. And our very own reverend explained to us how we should always keep the judiciary in high regard. How do you do all this and still manage to maintain support?
It’s what I explained in my previous article published here headlined ‘Cult of Personality’ which expounded upon cult mentality. It would be apt here to quote the famous and phenomenal physicist Mr Pervaiz Hoodbhoy who in his recent article published elsewhere so eloquently stated that it is the premier’s lust for power which is dangerous to Pakistan, despite him not being a money chasing politician. Of course notwithstanding his foreign funding issues which the ECP is undertaking or his lavish lifestyle or his minimal tax payments.
History has proved time and time again that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. However only this once, history was wrong. They weren’t pushed, they tripped themselves. They nosedived into the abyss. The ball is now in the opposition’s court. They must deliver instead of continuing the practice of blame game which has been ongoing since the past three years. Propagation and hate have been voted out, let lucidity and rationality prevail.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2022.
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