Steering the country on the right course

In the lives of nations due to cumulative failures of leadership in governance, infighting among major political parties and institutional waywardness, the situation reaches a major crisis threshold. We have been facing that moment for a few years and it is getting worse day by day with a large cross-section of the people being crushed by its consequences. The more serious aspect is that the warped response of the government to deal with the situation is likely to further compound the crisis and increase the suffering of the broad masses.

The present power structure of the PML-N government is so personal-oriented, defying even the basics of democratic governance. Nawaz Sharif’s hold on the party and on the present government is so dominant that all key appointments in government as well as major policy decisions are being made through remote control, making the situation more complex. It is an established norm in democratic country that when the minister or head of a department fails to deliver and is unable to rise to a serious challenge affecting the country, he resigns. The defiance of the finance minister to continue unabashedly reflects several weaknesses. It appears performance, efficiency and serving the people are secondary, nor is there accountability.

The on and off absence of the PTI from the parliament has been another setback depriving the country of institutional checks and balances. A different situation would have emerged if financial and monetary policies were made after scrutiny by the parliament and an assertive cabinet. It would be no exaggeration to assume that the attitude of IMF would have been more accommodative. And so would have been the approach of major powers and traditional allies.

Moreover, the nation failed to pursue its course in accordance with the constitution from its very early beginnings. The politicians in connivance with the army leadership strayed the country in a quagmire due to deliberate distortion of the constitution. Our destiny would have been very different if we had respected the sanctity of the constitution like other developing countries.

While it is important to be conscious of the past and present wayward policies and the lost time, the resolve to correct course should be undertaken on high priority. The first step is to ensure national and provincial elections are held as mandated in the constitution. Any lame reasons for delay will be tantamount to defying the constitution and Supreme Court orders. These should be conducted fairly and seen to be fair so that it does not lead to another crisis of credibility with the losing party demonstrating on the streets.

In the maze of the prevailing confusion what we are failing to discern is the extensive politicisation of our society that is leading to waste of national time and effort. The discourse in the parliament is primarily centred on blaming the opponents and the television and social media spends most of its time on confrontational politics. And so do many people, including in offices and even homes that distracts them from focusing on their primary functions.

No doubt criticism and blame game is part of a democratic culture but has to be accompanied by substantive discussion and workable solutions.

The present economic situation required a serious debate in both houses of the parliament. The expected IMF deal and the recent long drawn speech of the finance minister demanded a sober and well thought-out response from the opposition. There were statements and criticism but a serious parliamentary debate was lacking to correct course.

Another highly disconcerting trend is the perpetuation of personalised politics around certain families. Leaders are expected to address real issues and make every effort to lessen the enormous burden that the people are facing. Empty talk by leaders in public meetings and bragging about their exaggerated past achievements and future goals are making no dent on them. Especially during hard times, leaders should be forthright and come out with specific plans that satisfy not only international donors but the people whose suffering has known no bounds. The PML-N government should have the moral courage to resign as they are unable to lead and implement even the minimum agenda to stabilise the economy. Instead of walking the talk, their performance is full of contradictions that are turning on them as we are already witnessing. Confusion and chaos are a recipe for aggravating the economic crisis.

The only way out of this impending disaster that is lurking right in our face demands that the government and the opposition forego their false egos, stop blaming each other and allow the election commission to conduct the elections fairly. It is critical that political parties accept the results gracefully. The forthcoming elections provide a great opportunity to the army leadership to demonstrate that they are faithfully pursuing the policy of being apolitical. These are accepted norms in mature democracies but for Pakistan, defiance of constitutional obligations has been the model. The dilemma is that we are oblivious how much the country is losing and the people suffering due to these failings.

The strength and vigour of a nation depends on the will and endeavours of its people, in which the role of leadership and of the political party is crucial. This aspect is regrettably missing in our country as the focus of leaders is elsewhere and prospects of any change appear slim. The intellectual community, although relatively small, also lies dormant. Whereas, in these turbulent times there is as much a need for them to give a new vision and hope to liberate us from the despondency and political bankruptcy that has gripped the nation.

A point to ponder: as the nation hopefully would go to polls soon to elect their representatives to the parliament, will the hold of local moneyed landlords and officials continue to dominate or the electorate will be able to freely choose their representatives? Unless the latter happens, ordinary citizens would never acquire the political power or influence that inherently is their prerogative.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2023.

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