Reviving Jinnah’s ideals

ONE of the many injustices we have done to the memory of the Founder of Pakistan is to distort his vision of the country he founded. Deviations from his principles occurred within a few years of his death. Nevertheless, these deviations stemmed more from his successors’ failure to uphold his principles than from any deliberate attempt to distort his views or censor them to suit their political expediency. Decades later, however, leaders owing allegiance to parties which had played no part in the struggle for Pakistan seized power and, as a matter of policy, distorted his teachings. The result was Pakistan’s unmistakable slide into constitutional, political and social chaos and backwardization and a darkening of national horizons.

Since an outright renunciation of the Quaid’s views risked a popular backlash, the method employed was to interpret Islam in a narrow, obscurantist perspective. For instance, the nation was told that Islam believed not in democracy but in “shooraiyet” (consultations); that Islam stood for the head of government being elected for life; and that ijtihad was the responsibility not of the people’s representatives but of an unelected breed of clerics, who would legislate for the benefit of the millat.

Socially, women were given inferior status; all forms of entertainment were looked down upon, if not banned; freedom of thought and rational thinking were considered alien to Islam, and academic institutions and intellectuals were told that their job was to uphold the status quo instead of pursuing the spirit of free inquiry. More perversely, all media, especially the state-controlled electronic media, were thrown open to clerics, who discouraged debate and dissent. The overall result was that obscurantist elements came to command disproportionate power and influence at various levels of government and decision-making.

President Pervez Musharraf’s speech on the occasion of the Quaid’s birthday on Tuesday is encouraging for the emphasis it places on retaining the originality of Jinnah’s message. For instance, the Quaid’s direction-giving speech of Aug 11, 1947, had been virtually declared taboo by the Zia government. The president quoted from the historic speech to emphasize the spirit of tolerance which to Jinnah was a cardinal principle of an Islamic state. On women’s status, the president asked: “How do we treat our women? We still take them to be second class citizens. While Islam gives them equal status, it is the supposed custodians of Islam who undermine their role.” He quoted from the Quaid’s speeches to emphasize Jinnah’s commitment to democracy and his vision of Pakistan as a progressive and liberal welfare state “drawing inspiration from Islam.” Noting the lack of tolerance not only toward non-Muslims but also toward rival sects, the president said the Quaid’s vision of Pakistan had completely disappeared. “We have undermined Islam,” he said, and added that the world now associated Islam “with illiteracy, backwardness, intolerance, obscurantism and militancy.”

It is a paradox that instead of some politician or reformer taking up the issue, it has been left to a general to tell the truth. Nevertheless, whosoever speaks the truth — especially in times like these — must be encouraged. The emergence of jihadi organizations, which became a state within state, are a result of decades of the state’s patronage of clerics who supported the military establishment in its desire for perpetuity. Under the changed circumstances, it would be an act of service to Pakistan if the state were to pledge fresh allegiance to the Quaid’s vision and principles and undo the mischief caused by the distortion of Jinnah’s principles.

Meltdown in Argentina

FOLLOWING the financial collapse of Argentina, the new caretaker president has taken unprecedented measures to halt the economy from a further nosedive. The new government has announced the suspension of all foreign debt payments, diverting the resources to rebuild the shattered economy. With its debt standing at a massive 132 billion US dollars, the latest move represents the largest debt default in history. After the collapse of the previous administration following violent demonstrations, the Peronist Adolfo Rodriguez Saa has been elected as caretaker president till March when elections are to be held. The administration has also launched a new currency, the argentino, which will coexist with the peso and be used to pay public sector wages and reimburse depositors affected by a recent freeze on bank withdrawals. The previous government had decided to sharply cut wages and health services in order to finance its debt repayment burden, making it deeply unpopular. Fearing a steep devaluation in the value of the peso, Argentinians provoked a massive run on the banks. The administration responded by freezing accounts, leading to demonstrations that ultimately brought down the government.

According to economists, one of the main problems bedevilling Argentina was the pegging of the peso to the dollar. The move, fully backed by the IMF in a bid to stem inflation, ended up making Argentinian products uncompetitive and slowing down the economy to a crawl. The result was a vicious cycle of IMF-backed austerity measures that finally provoked massive social upheaval. While many people in the country enjoyed extremely high standards of living, the majority fell deeper into poverty. To add to the country’s woes, corruption and mismanagement continued unabated under successive governments. The result is a financial and social meltdown. Any debt-ridden country burdened with an incompetent and corrupt elite that adopts prescriptions not appropriate to its particular predicament is likely to suffer a similar fate.

Bus fare squabble

THE Sindh government’s decision on Dec 21 to announce a reduction in fares has unfortunately not been accepted by all public transport owners. While one group — the Karachi Transport Ittehad — followed the government’s directive, the other, the Karachi Transport Federation, has remained adamant. The latter says that it was never consulted on this decision by the transport department. It has also said that diesel is just one of many inputs in a public transport operation and a decrease in its price should not warrant a reduction of the scale announced by the government. In fact, it has issued an ultimatum that the decision be reviewed, failing which it will go on a strike. The result of this tussle has been the odd sight of passengers paying different fares for travel on buses plying on the same route. A series of scuffles between bus operators and passengers have also been reported.

The Sindh government should step in and sort out the matter before things get out of hand. The claim by the Karachi Transport Federation needs to be treated with scepticism, especially when the other body of transporters has complied with the reduction. In any case, it would be difficult to argue that a substantial decrease in the cost of fuel does not call for a corresponding decrease in the transport fare. The travelling public should not have to suffer just because the government cannot enforce its decision. At the same time, any future changes should be announced only after taking all stakeholders into confidence.