The madness of emotions

Last week I wrote on the futility of elections, as these reinforce the financial, political and social status-quo in Pakistan without addressing Pakistan’s existential problems of economic mismanagement, poor governance, and the ultimate loss of hope…leading to another round of premature elections. Contesting and winning elections have been perfected by experienced political dynasties to a science. Given that democracy has degenerated into an oligarchy of ‘interest groups’ and hasn’t been having positive effects on the lives of have-nots, there has been greater criticism of democracy lately — non-Western style. In most developing nations, using ‘democracy’, the elite capture the state through managed elections, outright corruption and horse-trading.

There are, at least, four examples in Pakistan, where candidates contested the February 8 elections from a party platform with better potential to win, and then joined another party with better prospects of forming the government. The switch ostensibly was necessitated by the need to recover election expenses, make some profit and remain in the limelight of treasury benches rather than wasting more money and sulking while sitting on opposition benches. And the game is on. Principles, conscience, values and electorate be damned. This democracy is a sham democracy, as it has not delivered, is not delivering, and will not deliver. For Pakistan, it is stumbling on the same bump over and over.

People might cite the Indian example next door. In reality, India has shined under one-party rule of PM Modi, however, despised his some polices may be. It is a single party, single ideology, single value political chauvinism, packaged as democracy. BJP’s internal control is full, expansive and not challengeable.

What good is a political system, which does not mature you into acceptance of defeat with grace and dignity; doesn’t ask of you to extend a hand of cooperation to solve the country’s very very real and critical issues in national spirit; doesn’t stir compassion and empathy for the miseries of your electorate and party cadre; and cannot restrain you from not restraining your party cadre from hitting at the very roots of your country and its system. Where for political and ultimately personal gains, you are willing to go to any extent as a political party…country, its system, its institutions, its armed forces, and above all the decency of civility are all kosher and can be sacrificed at the altar of ego.

We take pride in our young demography. But what good is that younger demography, which sleepwalks into violence, on the urging of this or that leader or party, destroying everything in the process…without reflection, without analyses and without remorse. The unbridled energy of youth needs to be channelised, as has been the dictum throughout the course of history. The dynamism of young years is better and appreciable, but best when within bounds and restraints, until the grey in the hair meets the grey in the head to calm things down. You cannot — in good conscience — willfully direct to unleash the energies of youth in destructive ways. It will cost the youth dearly in terms of missed opportunities in preparing for the future, wasting life’s critical years being political tools for obscure objectives. You instill hope, optimism and a belief… that yes things could be improved in Pakistan, but not all is bad, and not all is lost.

You do not ask of them to confront their armed forces, whose ‘problem’ is to maintain an aura of invincibility...like all armed forces must. Minus that aura and pride in your own armed forces, foreign armies would direct and dictate. No leader and party would do that, if not single-mindedly obsessed with power.

And then the subversion of minds through incessant, unremitting and deluge-like propaganda on social media aimed at the moorings of this country, its system and its institutions. A country that was won over millions of lives in sacrifice. Defiance is not greed, not lust for power, not illogical and is always open to compromise and flexibility. Spreading despondency, hate and despair is not to the benefit of anybody, any political party, or any leader worth his or her salt, but sadly there are not many leaders left, just businessmen in disguise… wearing shalwar qameez.

Reading through Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead (2023), a biographical narration mostly by Gen Jim Mattis, a former CENTCOM commander, US secretary of Defense, and a commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, one finds disparaging comments about Pakistan. He contends, “Pakistan was a country born with no affection for itself, and there was an active self-destructive streak in its political culture.” Without believing in everything that foreigners say about us, one is indeed struck by the stark inadequacies that we exhibit regularly and loudly. Look at the level of discourse in electronic media, the gutterised debate and diatribes over social media, the dark and condescending humour, the pettiness of politicians and politics, the self-first predilections, the inability to forge compromise and the single-minded pursuit of money…the list goes on. Although most other nations and people do share most these traits, functionalism and expediency overtake their negativity and sarcasm.

Watching the interesting debate about elections and its management etc, one is reminded of an irony. Every single politician that contested these elections is tainted. Every single one has stories of sleaze as their legacy, proven in court battles. The sheer money that they put into winning their seats is mind-boggling, not so innocent, and not available to most in this country. Their purpose is not so naïve, and their intention… to serve Pakistan and its hapless people not so pure. Yet we sleepwalk into electing them over and over. And the irony is that we try to find merit in election and selection of the corrupt…thieves would be a strong word. Someone remarked…merit while picking among thieves is comical.

So until we put our individual moral and political compass pointing in the correct direction; uphold the system and improve it; love and not loath our institutions especially our defenders who sacrifice their lives from Siachin to Sir Creek; hold politicians to brutal account if we cannot replace electables; put some rationality in our discourse by not giving in to obsessions, passions and unwarranted sympathies; and avoid the madness of emotions…we would continue to stumble, trudge along and slog.

Pakistan awaits our individual and collective decisions and preferences. System reboot or hardware replacement…the jury is out! Meanwhile, happy democracy…our style!

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2024.

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