The writer is Executive Director News, Express News. He tweets @fahdhusain
fahd.husain@tribune.com.pk
But wait. Reform is a mighty heavy word. It drips of intention, ambition and initiative. Reform signifies a rejection of the way things are, and the acceptance of how they should be. It denotes an understanding of the limitations of the present, and clarity about the beautiful possibilities of the future. And it marks a powerful respect for the power of ‘No’.
Today is the day to exercise this awesome power with unrelenting ruthlessness. Today is the day to stand up and shout out ‘No’ to all those things, big and small, that plague the life of Pakistanis with nauseating permanence. Today is the day to look the leadership in the eye, and fling the power of No in its face.
No, it is not acceptable for us to be uneducated any more. It is a crime against humanity that half our children are deprived of schooling, and hence a future. It is a crime perpetrated on our nation by every single politician and every single fauji who has ruled us since 1947. It is a crime that has devastated this society more than any other, for it is due to this shameful crime that a majority of Pakistanis cannot rise to their God-given potential. This is a crime that deserves the severest of punishments for each and every ruler who has lorded over the destruction that we face today. So no, we will not allow this crime to continue. No, we will shame all those who are responsible for it even today. No, the state of education must improve now. No, no more empty words and hollow promises, no more meaningless policies and insincere commitments.
Prime Minister, we dare you to declare an education emergency. We dare you to display your resolve. We dare you to prove that you understand and recognise the dire need for education as the top priority for Pakistan. Can you do it? Do you have what it takes? Prove it, or step aside.
No, it is not acceptable for the police to stay incompetent, inefficient, inept, corrupt and good-for-nothing anymore. This police that we have is a burden on Pakistan because it serves very little purpose other than serving the equally incompetent and corrupt rulers for their petty personal political interests. This police is a burden because it rapes the law, savages the citizen, brutalises the victims, mollycoddles the criminals, and has minimal capacity to protect and serve the citizens of Pakistan. No, such a police force must not exist any longer. No, there is no excuse left not to reform it now.
Prime Minister, we dare you to declare the complete depoliticisation of the police. We dare you to forbid any single person from your family, your biradri, your party to interfere in the working of the police. We dare you to initiate police reform that has been detailed in reports time and again. We dare you to transform this rotten, moth-eaten and demoralised force into a modern and professional one led by independent-minded and dynamic professionals. Do you have what it takes, Prime Minister? If not, step aside.
No, it is not acceptable any more for the law to be unequal for the citizens of this country. For too long we have lived with the bitter fact that the powerful can get away with anything in Pakistan. For too long we have accepted this with a shrug of the shoulder and a curse on our lips. For too long we have seen the civil and military leadership exist in this land like nobles of yore; the untouchables who can do no wrong in the eyes of the law. For too long we have seen the judges protect their interests more than those of the litigants; for too long we have seen the lawyers molest law with shocking impunity and zero accountability; for too long we have seen the bureaucracy manipulate the rules of its own making to carve out a cushy life for itself at the expense of the common man; and for too long we have seen the elite treat this land as their personal fiefdom. Well, no more. A ruthless and unforgiving reform is now mandatory to amputate this rot. Every advanced society follows rule of law. Are we barbarians?
So Prime Minister, do you have the capacity to understand the sacredness of this concept? Do you have the ability to comprehend what the rule of law entails? Can you wrap your mind around the fact that the basic rights of the children living on the streets outside Raiwind are the same as that of your sons and daughters? Can you grasp this? And if you can, then we dare you to ensure the supremacy of this concept. We dare you to announce that you will do everything in your power to implement the rule of law in Pakistan; that you will brook no exception; and that you will be brutal in ensuring no mighty or powerful man or woman is treated favourably by the law. Do you have what it takes, Prime Minister? If not, please step aside.
And no, it is definitely not acceptable any more to have vague targets for this nation. No, no more whimsical projects, and no more revolting patronage politics to enrich the rulers and their pathetic cronies; no more unaccountable spending on unnecessary schemes that benefit no one except those who launched them. Enough.
What we need is simple: basic rights for all, education for all, justice for all, accountability for all, equal opportunity and level playing field for all, safety of life and property of all, and a bright future with endless possibilities for all.
Prime Minister, we dare you to make this happen. If you cannot, please step aside.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2015.
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COMMENTS (31)
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Well diagonised Fahad. Now let us have the prescription.
Well diagonised Fahd. Now let us have the prescription.
@stevenson: Well said. Nawaz Sharif should not go away because sore losers in PTI can't accept election results. There is no short cut to letting the system develop and letting things develop. The quick fix, quick money, quick result mind set of 3 rd world people must change. Give PML N the chance to prove itself in a complete cycle and then speak.
@stevenson: very right. be careful pal you are commenting at the wrong place. this is pti club here. they only know one thing 'my way or the highway'.
@M Tariq Qureshi: Problem with the author is that he wants to try to pin the last 60 odd years of mistakes on the current elected government.Musharraf was around for about a decade and made everything worse and Zaradri did next to nothing in his 5 years. So when a new elected PM is in for hardly two years and does exactly what he was elected to do you find fault? What kind of logic is that. I voted for Nawaz Sharif because I want Metrobus, roads, trains, Gwader, Energy and infrastructure. You don't want it and have other priorities which is your right. No doubt you exercised your right not to vote for Nawaz Sharif. Under no account should Nawaz Sharif step aside because that would be a slap to the majority who voted for him. Unless people give an elected government the mandate to complete its term, Pakistan will be just another Muslim basket case country. Pakistan has the ability to evolve into a stable democratic system. The author needs to get off his one track agenda of bashing the elected government and blaming all the issues of previous elected politicians and dictators on Nawaz alone. If anything, I think Nawaz Sharif is doing a great job!
A bold article that shows the way to the PM. Deliver or Go.
Well said, once again. So what you are demanding is that democracy should deliver FOR THE PEOPLE and not for a handful of politicians and their beneficiaries. At best, when and if, push-comes-to-shove they will arrange for a few crumbs to be thrown at the feet of the people.....and it is then that the people have to say NO and demand their pound of flesh.
Brilliant Fahad. This PM will not read this brilliant article. We need a visionary, brave and ruthless Country Manager to clear the mess and with the support of people to do some examplary structural reforms immediately. Eliminate all contractors of religion. hanx for an eye openeer article.
@oBSERVER:
@Toticalling: Your logic is as silly as your ID.
And your ID, which starts with a small letter and goes to capital letters, is a slander against English composition. Or perhaps it is a reflection that you are top light, bottom heavy?
I wish and pray that he understands your words , but knowing the calibre of Mr PM I can only see the overwhelming darkness as long as he is at the helm of affairs
@oBSERVER: Calling someone's name as silly is not kosher. Surprised Tribune printed it.
@Toticalling: your defense budget myth is subconscience, only 7% is being allocated thereof, and decreasing trend can be observed for last decade
If the PM takes you seriously Fahd, he has no choice but to 'step aside'. What happens after he does step aside is what worries me. What are the chances we will get someone who can implement what you rightly demand, as his replacement?
The best and honest historians are the ones who have no religion.The best journalist is the one who writes without prejudice and biases.This is a write up from a PTI fan, not a journalist.
really right word for government but indeed they never take step to surmount in these issues because they know that if they do that then their business will be going to shutdown..
are you pk
@Toticalling: Money? Saying no also means you are fighting.corruption which means your tax base should nearly double. There's your money. But how much money do you need when you have existing resources which are being misused
Excellent Article. However neither would Nawaz Sharif do anything as suggested in the article nor would he step aside.Am convinced that under the present lot of politicians sitting in the so called democratically elected parliment the country would contiue to rot and the people would contiue to suffer.
Fahad you have done it again, a gr8 column, but it will go in vain because Mr. PM wont understand your great vocabulary n does not like to read such things regarding betterment of society.
Prime Minister, we dare you to declare an education emergency. We dare you to display your resolve. We dare you to prove that you understand and recognise the dire need for education as the top priority for Pakistan. Can you do it? Do you have what it takes? Prove it, or step aside.
O.K.
A. Let us say the Education Emergency is declared. Now what?
B. Oh, Yes? Funds to construct schools and libraries and buy books and recruit teachers.
C. And all this with PKR 64,014 million in the Budget for Education Affairs.
D. So, where do we get the money from?
E. Defence with an allocation of PKR 863,523 million (700,148 Million+163,375million Defence Pension) looks ripe for reallocation. As this is about 20% of Total Current Expenditure of PKR 3,463,245 million.
F. Ah! But that is easier said than done. That is like trying to steal the Dragon's eggs with no magic wand at your service.
Now, tell me Mr Genius, how does Mr Nawaz Sharif's resignation help.
Will you ask the other Sharif to go easy on the national resources, PLEASE?
http://finance.gov.pk/budget/BudgetinBrief201415.pdf
PS- Pay special attention to page 22 and 23 of the Budget 2014-15.
@Toticalling: Your logic is as silly as your ID.
Great stuff, and loads of people will agree with this, but no one wants to pay their taxes to foot the bill.
Change the preamble to the constitution. Otherwise justice, and equality for all resonates that the article speaks for Muslim "all" only.
writer well encapsulated the wandering voice of the nation, but who will read out, who 'll care, peoples never vote for these reasons, and they don’t intend to take votes on these intentions, stop all this go your home, here change meant at if I am benefitted then all is better, this is the change, everyone has his own change and reform agenda, which starts from him ends at him,
Wise words. Very clear and succinct. This is why congress got booted out in India. They just couldn't make progress happen.
Brilliant fahd! But this incompetent PM will never do anything for our betterment. Let's stop dialling the wrong number!
I agree with what you are saying. But when you say: "What we need is simple: basic rights for all, education for all, justice for all, accountability for all, equal opportunity and level playing field for all, safety of life and property of all, and a bright future with endless possibilities for all." I suppose you want our feelings to praise you. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to tell us where the money should come from. Better said which projects should be dropped to convert the savings to education. The major money eaters are defense and nobody can touch that piece of cake. Then we have interest payments of our huge debt. That is not possible either. One way would be to make land rteforms and distribute the money to poor and help them send their kids to school. I am not sure if majority of the parlimentarians will agree to that, soince those sitttingin parlaiment.are rich landlords. What you say is very desireable indeed. Only money for that is missing.