Have it your way

Difficult to know where to start these days and, strictly between us, can you blame me? To begin with, should we be outraged by the dictator lording over us or find exultation in the fact that at least the charade of engineered democracy is finally over and done with? As I’ve had cause to mention earlier, naked aggression can be preferable to hollow claims of participatory democracy when there is obviously no such thing on offer. The last eight years were torment for me, slow and torturous. Today I breathe far easier. Call me contrary but there it is if you don’t believe the crap.

Hitting rock bottom can be excellent in some truly tragic ways, for the only route left is up. Unfortunately there is no knowing if we have plumbed those murky depths yet. But I am hoping that we hit the point of no return sooner than later. Only then can we divorce ourselves from the world of the jugaar, that limbo existence of neither death nor salvation, of neither incompetence nor perfection, of neither life nor rebirth. Chugging along, hoping that one day the ways and means of our existence will meet with the acceptance of our ancestors, and perhaps even our best mates.

This thought, particularly, should go no further. Learn to keep a secret. There are those who believe that things must fall apart completely, and anarchy reign in the short term, before the upturn manifests itself in all its undetermined glory. In our context, they are probably right. I have often thought — well, at least once anyway — that we are so fundamentally fudged that nothing short of complete and utter change make us see the error of our ways.

The grave danger in that, given the way things are, that we may be made to accept our follies by violent barbarians presenting themselves as the true guardians of the faith. You think that can’t happen in Karachi? Dream on. If the current dispensation manages to hold on to power for even a year longer, the real problems facing the country could become truly unmanageable. While the government is rounding up lawyers and political activists, heavily armed men with death and destruction on their perverted minds will slowly but surely succeed in their sustained sorties into your personal space.

The concrete jungle that is Karachi will hold off longer than most, for its ‘secular’ guardians are renowned for their ferocity. In the end, though, they will be no match for the invading hordes.

This column is supposed to be about Karachi. Sadly the people of Karachi, by and large, will not be taking to the streets because the dominant party in the city, the MQM, linked its lot with a military ruler almost right at the outset instead of bolstering the ranks of those striving for a return to genuine democracy.

Still focus we must on the plus points, such as they are. Oblivious to reality, the emperor stands splendidly exposed in his true raiment, his birthday suit so to speak, and at least some things now appear to be on the level — with the exception of the PPP chairperson who played it both ways as long as she could. Her ethical leanings leave a lot to be desired, which is nothing new of course.

Benazir has besmirched the name of Bhutto forever. What happened yesterday was simply the outcome of her thinking that a deal with the military dictator could be extended an extra inch — because her true patron, the White House, would deem it so. Or maybe it was her hard-core supporters making a last-ditch statement that they, unlike the party leader, hadn’t sold their souls just yet.

Don’t take an axe to her supporters. They are still willing to take on the establishment but are tragically lacking in leadership. When will the party see that a change — at the very top — is in order? Please arrest me, I need an image makeover. And no friendly fire.

Enough said, for now.

imalik@dawn.com

Stir at last on the student front

There’s a perceptible stir in society and in the present confusion bordering on chaos signs of a positive change are brewing. One did not expect that students of elite institutions, sons of rich fathers, from educated families — who generally avoid social turmoil and prefer pop music to popular protests in which there is a likelihood of mixing with the masses and rubbing shoulders with uncouth pedestrians — would come out on their own and stand up to what is tyranny of their own class and be seen on the roads instead of clubs and fast food joints. But there they are, in small, noticeably vociferous groups in the midst of members of the once much touted class of moderately enlightened people who have been abandoned by the man who not so long ago swore by them.

These young people have no leader; they do not belong to any party and generally with their privileged lives intact politics, human rights, media freedom and such other things are matters of little consequence for them. But just as it had happened after the earthquake of autumn 2005 when the young boys and girls from the upper class had rushed to the help of the victims and played a leading role in supplying relief goods to the affected areas, they are once again turning up in rallies against the November 3 steps. People who had forgotten about students playing any role in political activities are watching this development with interest. When was the last time we saw students on the roads since General Zia clamped down on student unions and turned the campuses into graveyards of thought and action.

The role that students had played in the creation of Pakistan is now a faint memory in the minds of old people. The second or third generation born after independence might have heard about it from their elders but babies born around mid eighties who are now in colleges and universities have no experience of public protests. What to talk of participation they have not even seen a large protesting procession of any consequence in their lives. They might have witnessed fanatical madressah boys atop the Lal Masjid who to them are a queer species they cannot identify with. And the lawyers’ protest marches were the lawyers’ professional matter. So all in all any experience of community action for a cause that they may have had is limited to picnic type walks that groups of civil society organise from time to time in metropolitan centres against such things as smoking and for the rights of senior citizens etc. The earthquake work that they did is now dismissed by some as ‘disaster tourism’.

So some weeks back when I wrote in this column about “The long silence on student front” I had no idea and entirely any hope students, that too of O/A level type, would come out in any sizable number to join political rallies. While the quiet in public institutions where the masses of youth go for education and which used to be the hub of political activism was not understandable, it is somewhat of a surprise watching the rich youth chanting slogans against a desperate establishment.

Now the fear of being left behind has driven out the IJT boys also from the house of confusion their parent body has been occupying since tasting power which paradoxically has weakened both their muscle and their mission. Compared to them the madressah mugs which the JUI sponsors are far more potent but their energy is only released against sources of human happiness. Basically they are an apolitical lot and have no interest in things like human rights, economic well being, social justice etc., etc. It is not expected they will lend their help to the present cause.

Since the arrival of their leader from exile the student wing of the PPP, which has been comatose for a long time and most probably has no new membership while the old guard must have already passed out from the educational process, will take time recruiting and regrouping and make its presence felt on the campuses. In this situation student participation in the current agitation is purely voluntary. They are a part of the civil society, like the lawyers, intellectuals, members of the academia, human rights activists and fixed income groups.

That last section of the protesters, the salaried class, has been driven out by the strangulating economic squeeze. The honest man has scarce means now to keep body and soul together. Even in Khushhal Punjab! It is an amazing phenomenon — and indeed all credit for it goes to the blessings of authoritarian rule that over time makes upright backs supine and dries up the sap in the national will — that of the millions who can barely afford to buy atta (flour), few are on the roads. Neither are their sons. This silence of the lambs would give ideas to any ruler. They start believing in themselves, in their divine right to rule.

However, though it is a healthy sign that the young people are participating in affairs of national life, parents must see to it that none of their children below 18 participates in the on going agitation. But those above this age have a constitutional right and cannot be barred from political activity as they have been given the right to vote. They will be asked to exercise this right in the coming elections and so must fully participate in the democratic process. Being part of the intelligentsia, of the enlightened moderates, they should remain peaceful, save themselves from police brutality and avoid harming public property as the madressah hooligans did when they were let loose during the Lal Masjid crisis. If the protest is orderly more sections of the citizenry would come out to join it and it will carry more weight. In any case, as the Bard said:

Now let it work; mischief, thou art afoot,

Take thou what course thou wilt!