MOST of us commentators, indeed if not all of us, and a good many of those who are supposed to report things as they are, not as they are not, suffer from a lack of objectivity.

There are too many personal axes being ground into the mud, there are too many angles, obtuse and acute, there are too many chips on too many shoulders — and this applies not only to the writers and commentators but to the media barons themselves, many of whom are compromised by their own personal interests and leanings.

Minds need to be opened up and refreshed. We need to stop attacking, picking on old bones, and do a bit of cool analysis, criticise objectively and, if possible, constructively, point out the wrongs without forgetting the rights, and hope that someone or some persons who are in a position to act and come up with some solutions to this sorry mess are out there heeding.

What has happened to the grand reconciliation scheme? It has faltered. It has been one person and several other linked persons-specific. It has not been and is not evenhanded.

Unelected unrepresentative Asif Zardari, in his interview with the Washington Times published on May 29, reiterated several times that it is now ‘time for reconciliation’. Having had his substantial reconciliation, thanks to that unconstitutional and unlawful ordinance thrust upon the country through the machinations of Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf in thrall to the US and its ‘national interest’, it is time that he himself applied his mind and persuaded his wilting coalition partners and his own party people to enter into the spirit of national reconciliation.

How is it that President Musharraf is omitted from this grand process? How about a bit of reconciliation where he is concerned? His sins, largely, are no greater and no less (though they may be different) than the sins of those who have so illegally and un-evenhandedly benefited from the NRO. After all, it is he who is partly responsible, in hand with his American friends, for having cleared Zardari and his friends of the many charges (some iron-clad) levied against them many years ago. Reconciliation, if it is to be with us, should apply all round — to Musharraf, to the Mian of Lahore and his party people, in fact to us all.

It is Zardari’s wife’s assassination, and only and simply that, which has shot Zardari into the position where he now finds himself — unelected, having no constitutional nexus, but almost the sole spokesperson in this flailing Republic, sought out by locals and foreigners for his words of wisdom and policy. If miracles do happen, then Zardari can certainly claim one in his case.

Now, let us return to the objectivity factor and the state of the nation. For many a year, the American journalist, a true professional, Paula Newberg, has watched and commented on Pakistan and its peculiarities, its usually nefarious and occasionally comical doings, and its infrequent ups and very frequent downs. She writes for various US and international publications and has her wits about her. The comments she comes up with are valid and should be pondered upon. Posted on the Internet newspaper The Huffington Post on May 27 was Newberg’s article ‘Pakistan’s governance imperative’. It is lengthy and comprehensive. But she says it as it is from the opening paragraph right up to the bitter end.

“After the kind of year that no country ever wants, with its government in crisis, repression replacing even the most remote notion of good government, political assassination, and terror standing in the wings, Pakistan elected a new parliament in February.” A coalition was formed of three parties “previously deemed outcasts” which quickly agreed, at least in public, on a “daunting political agenda”. Then things went into reverse gear and it stands now broken down on the various issues facing it.

As of now, “Domestic politics and foreign policy alike are fair game for ambitious politicians long removed from power.” The “long removed from power” should make us all stand back and absorb shame. What sort of a nation is it that cannot, in the long period of eight years, throw up some new faces and new minds, untainted by past doings and failings? The voters cannot be blamed, they had little choice.

The blame must be laid fairly and squarely in front of Musharraf’s boots for it was up to him to find, nurture and bring out to the fore men and women of integrity, substance and ability who could lead this county into the 21st century. For his own selfish and myopic reasons he thrust upon us some of the most discredited men in this country’s political history and introduced into the political system others who are complete rogues and vulgar vagabonds. That he had no choice but to then bring back the relics of the 1990s and throw them to the voters is thus not surprising.

So where are we now? “The recent blur of pronouncements, plans and policies reflects this history as it touches on Pakistan’s perennially sensitive topics: jumbled electoral rules, imbalances between provincial powers and central government authority, political corruptions long deemed acceptable, and a testy relationship between parliament and the president ... daily life in Pakistan is increasingly punctuated by targeted, violent incidents and a prevailing insecurity that has not diminished since Musharraf’s government was defeated.” A sad commentary on all the euphoric rhetoric and pronouncements of glory to come with which we were inundated in February.

Newberg is right when she states that it is not the names of individuals which should dominate government and the headlines. It is political parties and parliament which must lead the government. Institutions are in a shambles. “Pakistan’s politics has almost always been in conflict with major state institutions ... no state institution has escaped the high-handedness of party rule ... the simple concepts of representation, political participation and honest constitutionalism are so eroded that Pakistan’s history is usually narrated as a contest between those who seek power and those who wield authority ... the space between them ... has nurtured corruptions of many sizes and shapes.”

What we need are leaders “to defy their own, and the world’s low expectations” for Pakistan’s success. For now, this or any government must demonstrate that after living for decades with coercion, the citizens of Pakistan, the grand awam, “have claims on the state that the state can and will honour”.

arfc@cyber.net.pk