Is any 'SPRING' Chasing the Stinking System?

Arab Spring was a popular rise of the people, with an intensive wave of anger against despotic rules in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in North Africa toppling the decade old rotten regimes of Zain El Abidine Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Qaddafi. Same is now ripe in Yemen and Syria and some other Middle East countries. In their crusade against the despot rulers ultimate demand of the people was not implementation of Islamic Sharia all at once. Very first and main objective was and still is to get rid of cruel authoritative rules. Freedom, honour, justice and availability of some basic sustenance, for which the people there have been longing for decades, were the main points of the movements. The people, mostly deprived of the basic needs of life were fed up of the status quo. Now, when Tunisian people, first time in their history of last about half a century, got a chance to elect their rulers through a free and fair election, showing an astonishing turn out in polls, they voted for Anehdhah, an Islamic party. And the same seems to happen in coming election in Egypt.

Arab Spring has proven to be a heavy blow smashing the ‘status quo’ into pieces. In the countries like Pakistan and some other third world countries the people are used to hear a common catch-phrase of the politicians ‘We will not let the system derailed’ from both the rulers and the opposition. This is actually a wicked trick to continue the status quo. A slackened shape of democracy works there only as cosmetic measure to remodel the face of dictatorship. It is just making it acceptable to the masses. There is little difference between the heavy dictatorships of the countries where the regimes have been blown up by the anger of the people and these second class democracies, as we see in practice in Pakistan.

Here the term ‘system’ is similar to ‘status quo’. Rulers, may they be of a single party or an alliance and the opposition are united to maintain ‘status quo’ viewing it in their interest. In Pakistan most of the politicians belong to feudal class. They very foxily get spared of paying any tax for their agricultural products. Many in business community too are tax avoiders. The reforms to bring any change for good are always blocked by those who watch over the status quo and defenders of the ‘system’. They are the biggest hindrance to rule of law and justice. Even the parliament remains subservient to their vested interests. For a long time they were successful to keep the judiciary too crippled to call them to the account for their corruption crimes. No mechanism of accountability is allowed to get strengthened. The rulers and the opposition both try to keep law enforcement agencies under their thumb.
They themselves, stooges of America, are indifferent to the needs and demands of the people. Very recently Media ran a report of an extremely lavish welcome lunch banquet by one of the MNAs of the ruling party in honor of the prime minister, who was in that constituency to address a party meeting. Cauldrons of roasted partridges and dear meat with many other dishes were served there squandering somewhere between 8 million to 10 million rupees just to appease the ‘honorable guest’. Very appallingly the details of the assets of the same parliamentarian, submitted to the election commission, show him a poor man with a heavy burden of debts. The president, the second richest man of the country and if his property and amounts alleged to be in Dubai, London and Swiss banks are added he may be one of the richest people of the world in the list of Forbes Magazine, pays no tax. This happens in the system which they resolve not to let be derailed. Giant national assets like railway, airline, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and steel mill and many other profit giving establishments have been ruined under the avaricious blunders. The ministers fight for the portfolios of the ministries rich in funds.

From political leaders (even degree holders of Oxford to Harvard) , bureaucrats, business community, top brass of the Armed Forces to a clerk in the department of excise and taxation, a police constable and a ‘patwari’ (a lower level revenue registrar), everyone sees his interests safe in the existing stagnant and stinky system and are eager for its continuance. Why? In fact this cruel system is a powerful backer of the corruption, satisfying their greed. Lawyers, one of the highly educated segments of the civil society follow an absurd professional moral code making half of them fight legal battle exoneration of the criminals, including the plunderers and looters of the national wealth. The one thought to be a bigger legal expert in the lawyer’s community the much higher he has the rate of his fees for his legal aid to his clients. And it is awful! Media always loud in shouts for their freedom of expression are the major boosters of the decayed system. Large media estates are in many ways collaborating with the manipulating political and economic system at home and multi-national companies for promoting their products. The journalists and anchor persons of the TV channels apparently seem to have their freedom of exposing the other elements but they themselves have to toe the lines of the owners of the news papers and channels they work for.

Religiosity is immensely in dearth of religious knowledge and colossal characters. Most of the religious schools, deeply plagued by sectarianism, serve only the cause of their splinter group. Modern education is separated in two different islands, one with poor facilities and standard, is for poor and the other, with highest facilities and superior standard for elite class. Teachers in schools, colleges and universities only push their students to the upper classes and remain indifferent of all the moral and social evils. Most of the corrupt elements in every field of life and particularly in politics are the product of this education system and outgrowth of the training given in the educational institutions. Wisdom has alighted from brain to the tongues. Both the political and religious leaders are excessive in talks and sterile in thinking.
Imagine the tragic situation. The reports of government agencies submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan tell three parties in government keep deadly mafias under their wings involved in many cases of extortion and target killings. And it is a unique thing perhaps in entire world a federal minister goes to the apex court blaming his own government of extremely high irregularities in rented power companies. Before this another minister bore his witness in Hajj corruption case against his colleague in the cabinet, the minister for religious affairs. The countries borrowed airplanes from Pakistan to start their airline now have highly developed air services with special terminals with all world level facilities. Why? Because all those who are in responsible position in the government authorities deem their land their home. On the contrary, as the CJ had remarked during the hearing of the case, ruling elites and their lackeys in the administration are ‘foreigners’. They land here from abroad as the foreigners, with packed brief cases ready to fly out again when they smell time of their quittance is close. They fully make avail of the chance to loot national wealth as more as possible without any prick of conscience. While taking their flights for going out they hardly think at what a lower level they leave the sinking ship of economy and governance with their corruption and plundering.

The cries for letting the system be not derailed is a topsy-turvy way of thinking of the dirty minds who deliberately want the honest human, particularly sage and well educated youth’s potentialities of thinking and working out of practice. But till how long the ‘Autumn Season’ will be held back in existence? After all ‘Spring’ has to appear. It may be a bit late but after ‘Arab Spring’ the ‘Ajam Spring is destined to appear.